The Beginning of Everything
by Sweet Sookie
Summary: On a whim, Eric saves a little girl from drowning. How will it change his undead life? A/U OOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So I jumped on the bandwagon and wrote my first story. Please tell me what you think. I'm a virgin so be gentle ;D

I totes need to thank my fuck-tastic beta, Morecks87 for poppin' my FF cherry. If you aren't reading her stories you should.

Also, I don't own these characters CH does, so nobody sue me.

"I love her and that's the beginning of everything."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

* * *

"Eric, what are you going to do about her?"

"I do not know, Pam. She is not a child anymore. She is 26 years old, I cannot keep her forever." I sighed, though as a vampire, I do not even breathe.

"Master, you cannot let her walk out on us like that!" I know that by now, Pam cares for Sookie as much as I do, though she would never admit it.

"Sookie has been with us for 19 years, Pam. She does not belong with vampires. She has found her family again and I cannot stop her from going back to them. I will not."

I thought back to the day that I first saw Sookie Stackhouse. I was flying back to Shreveport from Bon Temps. A new vampire moved into my area and it was customary for new supes to check in with me since I am the Sheriff of Area 5. However, this particular vampire did not check in before moving in and I had to pay a house call. Something Bill Compton paid for dearly.

I was not far from Compton's house when I saw something unusual. A bridge up ahead of me had collapsed and there was a car that had fallen into the river below. The car was quickly taken under the water and I thought for sure that everyone inside had perished. That was, until I saw a little blond head bob up from under the water. It was not my duty to do anything about this situation but for some reason, I could not leave that person in the river to face their death. This was something I never had a problem doing before.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I flew down to the river's shore line with the intention of saving the person in the river. However, just as I landed, the small head had submerged under the water again so I dove in to save it.

Under water, I saw the car with two adults inside strapped to the front seats. It was clear that they had already passed. The back window of the car was smashed out, from where I assumed the little girl escaped.

I swam over to the body in the water and grabbed a hold of her before I flew out of the water again.

When I had landed, I set the little girl down and got a better look at her. She had blond hair and was wearing a pale yellow sundress. She lay on the ground, unconscious, while I debated about what to do with her.

I could tell that she was alive, her heart was beating and she was breathing. I could have left her on the shore until someone else found her or I could have taken her to the hospital. Yet again, against my better judgment, I did not do either of those things. Instead, I bit into my wrist and held it over her mouth. She did not wake up to drink from me so I held my wrist over her mouth to let the blood drip in.

After a few drops, I licked my wrist to close it and tried to wake up the young girl in front of me. Vampires very rarely give up their blood willingly, especially not to little girls that we have never met.

However, the blood did work and the little girl woke up, with big blue eyes. I could feel that she was frightened, which was unusual because I had only given the child a few drops of my blood. I should not have been able to feel her emotions yet.

She looked at the river with tears in her eyes and then looked at me. She started crying and threw herself into my arms. Her sudden movement startled me, yet I made no attempt to push the little girl away. Instead, I held her tightly and whispered calming words into her ear. I had no idea where this protectiveness came from but I suddenly felt the urge to protect this little angel in my arms. Although it may be strange for a creature damned to hell to talk about angels, that is exactly what she looked like.

After some time, she pulled back and asked me about her parents, the adults in the car.

"Do not worry, child," I told her, "they simply went to Valhalla."

"What's that?" she asked with unshed tears in her eyes.

"It is a place that people go when they are no longer a part of this earth," I answered her gently.

"You mean they're dead?" she asked, tears streaming down her face again. Well, I did not know how to tell her any easier so I agreed.

"Yes little one, they are dead."

"What about my brother?" Hmm, I had not seen anyone else under the water nor did I sense anyone near that was still alive. It was safe to assume that her brother had died as well, so I told her as much. She started crying again so I just held her in my arms and rocked her. I went into down time as I soothed her and soon I heard her breath even out and I knew that she had fallen asleep.

I turned my attention to the child in my arms. I had done this much to insure her safety, it would be idiotic to leave her now. So, I gathered up the child in my arms and flew to my house.

She was still asleep when I got to my house, on the edge of Shreveport, so I quickly entered in the security codes and took the girl to the guest bedroom closest to my own. I gently laid her on the bed and covered her up before I went to my office to use the phone.

"Master?"

"Pamela, I will not be coming into Fangtasia tonight. Something has come up. I will call you tomorrow when I rise."

"Yes Master." What an obedient child.

After hanging up the phone I realized what I had done. I found a little girl, gave her my blood and brought her back to my house. What was I going to do now?

* * *

**A/N: **So, that was it, lol. Please, please, please (yes, I'm begging) leave a review and tell me what you liked and what you didn't. What do you think Eric is going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I want to start this by thanking everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and added my story to their alerts. I tried to reply to all the review I got and I will try to keep doing that.

I want to thank my beta lover, Morecks87, for kicking my ass all week to get this chapter ready. Please believe me when I say that I love you ;D

Also, Missus T for tutoring me on FF, which she is currently doing ; )

You should also go look at this story that I unintentionally issued a challenge for s/5847736/1/Angel_or_Love_on_an_Escalator#

I will try to post every week, the past 2 times just happened to be on Sunday. I will also try to post a teaser in the Monday teaser thread each week.

Also, I don't own anything so don't sue me. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

After my phone call with Pam, I went back into the guest bedroom to check on the little girl resting there. I then realized that I knew nothing about her except that she was apparently an orphan. I stared down at her for a minute when she started to stir.

"Who are you?" she asked as she sat up in the bed.

"My name is Eric Northman," I answered, giving her a polite smile to try and comfort her. "What is your name?"

"I'm S-s-sookie," the little girl stuttered. She was not exactly afraid, but nervous. "Sookie Stackhouse." I sat in the chair in the corner of the room. I did not want to scare her by lurking over her. Sookie looked around the lavender room we were in before looking back at me. "Where are we?"

"We are at my house. You fell asleep and I did not know where else to take you. Is there anyone I should call?" Her eyes started to well up again as she shook her head no, with her curly blonde hair swaying with the movement. I walked over to her slowly and took her in my arms again. I found it irritating that I was so willing to comfort her but apparently I could not help myself.

I could feel that her clothes were still wet but I did not have anything else to let her wear. I carried her into the adjoining bathroom and sat her on the toilet lid. She did not make an attempt to move so I dug through one of the drawers and turned up with a hair dryer. I turned it to its highest setting and aimed it at the young girl.

Her hair blew behind her head and she started to giggle. I asked her to stand so I could actually dry her dress.

Once I was pleased with her level of dryness, I asked her if she was hungry. As soon as she nodded, I took her hand and we headed downstairs into the kitchen.

Since vampires were still unknown to humans, I kept human food in my house in case I had any human visitors. I had the maid grocery shop every week and to insure that the food did not spoil, I let the help eat what they wanted of it. I used the excuse that I ate out a lot to hid the fact that I did not eat the food in the kitchen. In truth, I did eat out a lot, just not what the maid thought.

As soon as we reached the kitchen I picked the girl up and set her in a stool at the island.

"What would you like to eat?"

"Um… Do you have cereal and orange juice?"

"Is it customary to eat cereal and orange juice at night?"

"Well, my daddy lets me," Sookie replied while staring down at her lap.

I could tell the girl was upset at the mention of her now dead father, so in an attempt to keep her from crying again, I yelled, "Cereal and orange juice it is!"

I went over to the pantry and took out a box of Frosted Flakes. After some rummaging around, I got a bowl from a cabinet and spoon from a drawer and set them in front of her. After I poured the cereal into the bowl, I went to the refrigerator. Carefully avoiding the drawer with the blood bags in it, I reached for the orange juice. I went back to where Sookie was sitting and poured the orange juice into the bowl.

She sat there and stared at it, slowly stirring her spoon in the bowl.

"Are you no longer hungry?"

Her eyes met mine and she shook her head. "Um, do you have anything else?"

"I thought you wanted cereal and orange juice."

"I changed my mind."

"Okay… What else would you like?" I asked her, feeling a little put out. I mean, I already made her cereal.

"Do you have any pizza?"

"Where would you store that?"

"My momma keeps it in the freezer."

I dumped the cereal, bowl and all, into the garbage and walked over to the freezer. Sure enough there was a frozen pizza inside. I ripped off the plastic covering and took the pizza to the cooking device.

"Shouldn't you read the instructions?"

I wanted to say, "I am a thousand year old Viking vampire who runs the largest area in Louisiana! Of course I do not need to read instructions."

Instead, I settled for, "No little one, I make these things all the time. I do not need instructions."

I released the latch and opened the door of the red machine next to the sink, then pulled out the top rack. Setting the pizza on the top rack, I pushed it back in and closed the door.

"Okay, now to turn it on." I fiddled with the knobs and buttons trying to get the damn thing to work. I pressed the hot button assuming that is the appropriate temperature for a pizza.

"Um… Mr. Northman?"

"Please Sookie, let me handle this. And call me Eric."

After some time the machine still failed to make any noise and I did not feel any heat coming from the device. "Ugh, I do not understand this machine!" I growled in frustration. Vampires do not need to know how to work these things. Hell, rich people do not need to know how to work them, and I am both.

"That's a dishwasher, silly," she laughed at me. "You don't cook in there."

"Of course, I knew that," I said in an attempt to preserve my dignity. "Let us pretend you were making this. Where would you cook it?"

"In the oven. In there," she said, pointing to another door that looked identical to the one I had put the pizza into. Well, with the exception of a little window.

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. I took the pizza out of the dishwasher and set it on the island.

I sat down in the stool across from Sookie and said, "Sookie, you seem to know a lot. Would you like to help make the pizza?"

"Sure," she smiled brightly. She walked over to the garbage and took out the instructions. "You ripped them."

I needed to think of a way out of this. I no longer had any desire to make this wretched pizza. "Well, this pizza is dirty anyway," I said after I sneakily slid it off of the island and onto the floor. Just then, I had a stroke of genius.

"Sookie, be a good girl and clean that up while I order you a pizza." Without argument, she walked over to the mess on the floor and started cleaning it up. Her obedience so soon was extraordinary.

I walked over to the phone and called Pam.

"Master, two phone calls in one night. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Pam, I need you to send a pizza to my house immediately."

"Is someone there? Why didn't you have the maid cook something?"

"Not that it is any of your business, Pamela, but it was short notice," I growled into the phone. "Now, do as you are told. If I do not have a pizza at my door in 30 minutes or less, you will regret it." With that, I hung up the phone. I turned back to Sookie and realized she was no longer in the kitchen.

I listened for her and could hear her in the living room. When I walked into the living room, she was sitting on my large black leather couch, looking around the room. I walked over to the couch and sat at the opposite end, facing her.

"I ordered the pizza. I have been assured that it will be here soon."

"Ok."

While we waited for the pizza, I saw this as an opportunity to talk to Sookie.

"How old are you, Sookie?"

"Seven."

"Where did you live?"

"In Shreveport with my momma, daddy, and brother." She looked to her lap again, playing with her hands. "Where are we?"

"In Shreveport. Why were you near Bon Temps?"

"My daddy said that he had a surprise for us. He was taking us to meet someone."

"Besides your mother, father, and brother, do you have any other family?" She shook her head and I could see a tear slid down her check through the veil of her golden blonde hair, the same color as mine.

What was I going to do with this girl? There was nowhere for her to go. I had given her my blood, something I have not done since I made Pamela. Certainly I could not just abandon her after that. But what was I going to do with a seven-year-old little girl? I could not possibly take care of her. My life style was not one for little human girls. I would have to discuss this with Pam when I rose the next night.

Just as I finished that thought, the door bell rung. I went to the front door and looked in the monitor for the gate. The pizza deliveryman.

"Sookie, the pizza is here. I will be back," I called as I walked out the front door.

I blurred to the end of my long driveway and opened the gate. The teenage boy jumped with the sudden movement. I reached into my pocket for my wallet but realized I did not have it on me. I looked into the boy's eyes and said, "Thank you for bringing the pizza. Now give it to me, get back in your car, and drive back to work."

Like a zombie, the pathetic thing walked back to his car and drove away. I hurried back into the house where Sookie was still sitting on the couch.

"Come into the kitchen, the pizza is here," I said as I strolled past her.

She followed like a lost puppy. I led her back to the island where she situated herself on a stool, and I laid the pizza box out in front of her. Once again, I sat in the stool opposite her, and waited.

She looked around anxiously like she did not know what to do.

"Eat Sookie. You are hungry."

"Are you eating too?"

"No. I ate earlier." In fact, I had not eaten at all. "I am just going to get something to drink. Would you like anything?"

"Do you have any pink lemonade?"

"I am sure I do. Now, eat the pizza right out of the box." I opened the lid and went straight into the refrigerator to get Sookie some pink lemonade and to slip a bag of blood out of the drawer.

I had to read the labels of the bottles in the refrigerator, I had no idea what pink lemonade was. At last I found it.

I got two cups out of the cabinets and quickly tore the bag of blood and emptied it into one cup. I put it in the microwave, the one cooking device I could use, while I poured Sookie some lemonade.

I took our drinks back to the island and handed Sookie her cup. She ate very politely. Even at such a young age, she showed the traits of what one would call a southern belle.

She ate her pizza and drank her pink lemonade, and I drank my blood in silence.

When she finished eating she let out a polite yawn, and I realized it was past the time a human child would go to bed.

"Come Sookie, it is time for you to rest." Once again, she followed behind me and I led her back the lavender room. I realized the sheets were still damp but I had no idea where the maid kept the extra bed sheets.

"The bed is still damp from your clothes. I will take you into another room."

I led her across the hall to a pale blue room.

"How many bedrooms does your house have?"

"There are three that I use for bedrooms, and then there are others that I use for other things."

I tucked Sookie into her bed and she cuddled under the covers. I hated that I would not be awake when she woke up. I was not sure what condition she would be in. That reminded me.

"Sookie, I will not be here tomorrow. I have a few people that work for me that will be in. They will take care of you and I will be back at sundown."

She appeared nervous at this news and I felt even worse. Why did this girl affect me like this?

"Do not worry, Sookie, they are all very nice and will do anything you ask."

"Ok Eric. See you tomorrow?"

"Of course. Good night, Sookie."

She was asleep before I closed the door. I went to my office to call my housekeeper, Ruth. I could not leave Sookie in the house alone when I went to rest, so Ruth would have to come in early.

Surprisingly, despite the hour, Ruth picked up after only a few rings.

"Mr. Northman? I'm surprised to hear from you at such a late hour. Is there a problem?"

"Actually, I need to favor. A friend of mine has recently passed, along with his wife and their son. There was no one else to take his daughter so she is in my care. It was short notice and I just got her tonight but I need to go to work early in the morning. I need you to be here before sunrise so I can leave. Also, she does not have any of her possessions so could you go to the store before you come and get all the things that seven year old girls need?"

It sounded odd, I know, but if she suspected anything I would just glamour her. Just one perk of being a vampire with human workers.

"Of course, Mr. Northman. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. If you could be so kind as to not mention any of it to Sookie, the girl, I think that would be best."

"Of course, Mr. Northman. I will be there before sunrise with everything you need."

"Thank you, Ruth." I hung up the phone and went to my office to finish any paper work that I had gotten behind on since the little blonde distraction.

It was a few hours later when I heard the front door being opened. I left my office and headed downstairs to help Ruth carry the bags she brought into the kitchen. I looked her in the eyes and told her I was leaving. She nodded and proceeded to put away the things she had brought.

I walked back to my bedroom, locked the door, and went into the closet. Since no one knew of vampires, I did not have to put so many precautions on a resting place. No one would think to look for one.

I moved a row of dress shirts out of the way and removed a panel from the wall to reveal a security system. I typed in the code and put my thumb up to the sensor.

The wall shifted to reveal another door, a much thicker door, one in which only I had the key. I unlocked the door and walked down the stairs, prepared to go to rest. I warmed up another blood bag with the mini kitchen I had installed in my room, and then climbed into my massive bed.

Before I closed my eyes, I listened closely to the movement upstairs but only heard Ruth's light footsteps.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Because of my age, I am able to rise before the sun sets, but I am still unable to leave my light tight room.

I took this time to call Pam. She is much younger than me so she would still be asleep but she would get the message.

"Pamela. I want you at my house in Shreveport immediately after you rise. There is something that we must discuss."

I drank a few more warmed bags of blood before I blurred to my bedroom and used the bathroom to shower before dressing. Then I went to the kitchen where I found Sookie and Ruth. Neither heard me approach.

"Thank you Miss Ruthie," Sookie smiled as Ruth handed her a plate. Whatever was on it looked healthier than what she had settled for last night.

I walked into the kitchen and told Ruth that she was able to leave. She said good-bye to Sookie and me before she left.

Sookie was wearing different clothes and her hair was braided into two pigtails.

"Hi, Eric," Sookie smiled enthusiastically.

"Did you have fun today little one?"

"Oh, yes! Miss Ruthie is so much fun. She let me help her cook breakfast for the other workers and she brought me some toys. We played Barbies today."

"I am glad you had fun. Did you talk about anything?"

"Every time she looked away from me, she would say how sad it was that my family died and how it was nice of you to take care of me. I tried not to be sad because I don't think she wanted me to hear her. I hear a lot of things I'm not supposed to," she said while looking to her lap again. I noticed she did that whenever she got upset. "Am I really staying with you?"

"We will talk about that later. Right now I need to go to my office and check on a few things. You stay put and eat."

I left Sookie in the kitchen and went up to my office to get some business out of the way before I had to deal with this mess.

**Pam POV**

"Pamela. I want you at my house in Shreveport immediately after you rise. There is something that we must discuss."

Of course, he expected me to drop everything and run to his side at the snap of his fingers. Never the less, it's what one must do when their master called.

I groaned as I got out of bed and slipped on my black fuzzy slippers. What? They're comfortable.

I left my day chamber and went to the bathroom to get ready. I used my superior abilities as a vampire and rushed through my shower and dressing. It didn't take much effort to make myself look gorgeous and there was no use in wasting the night on primping.

I dressed in my designer pink skirt and white button down blouse. My hair looked plain so I put a pink headband in my hair and slipped on my patent black peek toe pumps. Hmm, the outfit was missing something… Oh, my pearls.

Since I didn't have time to feed before I had to meet with Eric, I put a bag of blood in a cup and put it in the microwave. It wasn't as fresh as I would have liked, or in the way I liked to obtain my blood, but it would have to suffice, for now.

I walked outside and got into my brand new BMW and drove to meet Eric, and whatever mess he had gotten into.

I pulled up to his gate and entered the security code. I swore every time I saw his house I couldn't stop thinking about how gaudy it looked. A two level house covered in oversized grey stones that make it look outdated. Leave it to Eric to try and still live in the Viking age.

I pulled up by the front door. Whatever the reason for me being here, I didn't plan on staying long. I had some, _business_, to take care of.

As I opened Eric's front door, I noticed a little blonde haired girl coming out of the kitchen. If this was what Eric had meant about needing to see me, I didn't mind so much anymore. I would have her drained within minutes. She was a child. A teacup human.

Her scent made my fangs pop down and I could see her flinch. Hmm, maybe if she ran I could chase her.

I stalked after her, intending to give her a head start. It was no fun if you caught them too easy. Plus, it was a lot easier to drain them once their blood raced through their veins.

I could smell how fresh she was, her blood so untainted.

I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into her.

* * *

**A/N:** I look at every review and take them seriously so please review and tell me what you thought.

I tried a Pam POV but I would really like to hear your feedback on that.

One last thing, please go look at the Support Stacie Auction to bid on your favorite authors .?f=24&sid=

Ok, I'm done, lol :D


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** It's still Sunday, I'm not late!

I hate that it took me another full week to update but I've had a busy week.

I need to thank my super sexy beta lover Morecks87 because if it weren't for her I wouldn't have started this story in the first place. Plus she beta'd this chapter SUPER fast. If marriage was legal between writer and beta, I'd be dragging her ass down the aisle ;D

As always, I own nothing so don't sue me and any remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

As soon as I got to my office I sat down at my desk and tried to focus on work but the only thing I could think about was the little girl eating in my kitchen.

What was I thinking? I should have never stopped when I saw that the bridge had collapsed. I should have never dived into the water to save Sookie, and I most certainly should have never given her my blood and taken her home with me.

But the problem was that I had done all of those things. And the worst part was that if I was honest with myself, I did not regret it.

I knew that I should not have done it, but if I were able to go back and do it all again, I am not sure that I would have done things differently.

What was it about that little girl that made me so drawn to her? I did not know what it was, but I knew something was different about her.

All of my concerns would need to be discussed with Pam when she arrived.

I forced my mind back to the work on my desk. It was a short time later when I heard a car and the front door open and close.

I felt fear instantly, and then almost immediately heard Sookie scream. Pam… Sookie… Fuck.

I blurred downstairs to the kitchen and what I saw did not appease me.

Sookie was behind the island peeking over at Pam who was standing in the entry with her fangs exposed and her entire body rigid.

My first thought was, if I let Pam kill her, all of this would be over. However, once I looked over at Sookie and saw how frightened she was, all I wanted to do was protect her.

It disturbed me to no end that I felt this way.

My second thought was, Pam is lucky that Sookie could be glamoured because how was I supposed to explain vampires to a 7-year-old human child?

I stood in the entryway between the living room and the kitchen.

"Pamela."

She looked as if she were in a trance. She was still in the position as if she were going to attack. She did not look at me at all. Her eyes were locked on Sookie.

I could feel that Sookie had calmed down considerably since I had appeared. I wondered what she thought I could do against a creature like Pam without knowing that I too, was one of those creatures.

"Pamela!" I growled.

She noticeably flinched. It was clear she was out of whatever spell she was under.

"Master?"

"What did you think you were doing?"

"You said that you had business that you wanted to discuss with me. When I came over and saw the child, I assumed that's what business you needed attending to."

"Let me make this very clear to you. You are not to touch this child in any way." I looked down to see Sookie wrapped around my leg.

"Well if you're not going to let me eat her, what are you going to do with her?"

"That is the problem. I do not know what to do with her."

"Where did you get _it_ from?" Pam said making a disgusted face.

"Um… Eric?" Sookie whispered while pulling on my pants leg.

"Sookie, can you go to your room and let us adults talk?" I asked Sookie sweetly. I loved that I never had to glamour her to get her to do what I wanted. However, that would soon change as I assumed she saw Pam's fangs and would have questions.

Sookie nodded and slowly walked toward the stairs, keeping an eye on Pam the entire way. Once she got to the stairs, she ran up them to, what I have come accustomed to calling, her bedroom.

"Eric, what the fuck is going on?"

"First of all, you will not use that language in front of Sookie."

"Oh, it's Sookie, is it?" Pam asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Second, the sole purpose of you coming over was for me to explain the situation we are in."

"WE!" Pam interrupted.

"Yes Pamela, WE!" I growled. I proceeded to tell her of how I obtained Sookie and how I was at a loss of what to do with her now that I had her.

"It's clear what you should do, Eric. Either eat her or get rid of her."

"We were going to try and not be savages by killing children, remember?"

"Well, what do you want to do with her then? You can't keep her. We have no use for a child nor do we need the responsibility."

"Well, we are not going to kill her. It would have all been a waste if we did that."

"Fine, we'll drop her off in a dumpster like parents who don't want their children."

"Humans do not do that." I had no clue where Pam got those ludicrous ideas.

"Yes, they do. I saw it on Oprah."

"We are not doing that with Sookie!"

"Why do you even care about what happens to her? You've never been like this with humans."

I was not quite sure how to answer Pam's question. It was something I had asked myself since I found Sookie.

"I am not going to question it, but I believe there is a reason I am so attached to her. I am not going to give her away until I figure out why."

"Well, in the mean time you think maybe we should glamour her. I know she saw my fangs."

"You could not control yourself enough to keep your fangs hidden?"

"I can't describe it. As soon as I smelled her, I wanted her. I wanted to drain her," Pam said as her eyes glazed over again.

"Remember to control yourself in the future. I do not want any accidents where Sookie is concerned. I am going to call her down now so we can talk to her."

Almost immediately after I called for her, Sookie appeared at the top of the steps. She made her way down and stood at my side again.

"Wow, Eric. You already taught _it _how to heel," Pam said as she patted Sookie on the head like a dog. Sookie flinched.

"Sookie, this is my friend Pam. You do not have to be afraid of her."

"But she has sharp teeth."

I looked Sookie directly in the eye and told her, "Pam does not have sharp teeth Sookie. You were seeing things."

"No I wasn't! She had sharp teeth. I saw them!" Sookie screamed, clearly agitated. "You're like my momma! She never believed me either." Sookie's eyes sparkled with her unshed tears.

I did not know what to be more concerned about, her reaction to me calling her a liar, or the fact that I could not glamour her.

"Eric, what did you do to it? It's leaking everywhere."

"I do not know Pam. I could not glamour it, uh, her."

"Here, let me try. Sookie," Pam said as she kneeled to be on Sookie's level. "You are seeing things. I don't have fangs. I'm not a vampire."

Sookie stopped crying instantly. "Fangs! A vampire? Are you a vampire? Eric, is she a vampire?"

I could feel through our one sided bond that Sookie was… excited? I was sure that was not the normal reaction.

"Ugh," I groaned at Pam's choice of words. Looked like Pam's attempt did not work either.

"Eric, do you see this? She can't be glamoured."

"What does that mean?" Sookie questioned.

"It means that I can't get into your mind and make you do whatever I say."

"Pam! You have to be careful about what you say in front of her if she cannot be glamoured."

"What does it matter now, Eric? She already knows we're vampires. We'll either have to kill her or keep her around and find out why we can't glamour her."

"You're vampires. I knew it! Am I a vampire too? I can go inside people's heads. My daddy helps me," Sookie said proudly.

I froze and looked at the little girl in front of me.

"No, you're not a vampire, you little idiot. You can go out in the sun and you don't drink blood. Really Eric, why are humans so stupid?"

"That is what you found most important in what she just said?"

"Well of course she's lying about being able to go inside someone's mind."

"But if she could, it may be able to explain why we cannot glamour her."

"Ok then. Sookie, can you get inside my mind now?" Pam asked.

"Um, it doesn't work like that. I can't make it happen, it just does. Daddy practiced with me when Momma wasn't around. She thought I was crazy."

Suddenly something Sookie said earlier came back to me.

"Sookie, when Ruth said that she felt sorry for you, did she say it aloud or did you hear it in her head?"

"It's hard to tell but I think it was in her head because I didn't see her lips move."

Now for the question that would determine if Sookie would live or not.

"Can you see inside my and Pam's mind? Have you ever been able to see inside our minds?"

She shook her head. "Nope. With some people it's hard to see and some people I can't see at all. When I look inside your head, it's… blank."

I could not believe what I was hearing. This little girl that I saved from drowning appeared to be a telepath.

"So you guys are really vampires?"

Knowing she was a telepath, there was no way I could get rid of her now, she could be useful. I made the decision that we would not lie to her. It would be too hard to keep it from her, especially since she could not be glamoured.

"Yes, little one. We are vampires."

"Can I see your fangs? Do you drink blood? Do you sleep in a coffin?"

"Hold on teacup, one question at a time. Yes, you can see my fangs," Pam said as she flashed Sookie her teeth. "We do drink blood but we do not sleep in coffins anymore. I sleep in a bed."

I was amazed at how Pam's attitude had changed towards Sookie. Just a short time ago she was ready to drain her and throw her in a dumpster. Now she was indulging her in showing Sookie her fangs and answering questions about vampires.

"Where do you keep your blood? Or do you suck people's blood?" Sookie asked, her eyes growing big.

"I have some in the refrigerator in the kitchen. I am in the process of getting my room renovated and the refrigerator has not yet been installed."

"But what if Miss Ruthie sees it? Does she know you're a vampire?"

"I had the drawer installed with a lock that would release if you touch a certain spot in the refrigerator. If Ruth did look in there and discover the blood, I would simply glamour her into forgetting about it. Also, no one knows we are vampires except you so you cannot tell anyone. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I promise I won't tell anybody. I'm so glad I'm not the only one that's different."

"Good girl. Now go watch cartoons."

As soon as Sookie stepped out of the room, Pam started in.

"I can't believe you found a telepath! Your instincts are amazing."

"I did not live to be as old as I am on luck alone."

"So what are you going to do with her?"

"Nothing has to be decided tonight but I have an idea. I think Sookie should continue living here with me. I do not trust for her to be sent to live with someone else. If possible, I want to find someone to help tutor her in her telepathy."

"What about her family?"

"The only family she knows died in the car accident. The authorities will just assume that Sookie died too."

"What about her stuff? Does she have anything here?"

"Ruth bought her some things but anything she owned before that is gone now. We will have to get her all new things. The life she had is over. She is with us now."

"I could get her new clothes. Whoever dressed her did an atrocious job."

* * *

**A/N: **Of course Pam is going to want to play dress up with the little human.

Also, if you want me to reply to your review you should totes leave one…

I'm thinking about sending a teaser to those who review. What do you guy think of that...


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I've gotten a lot of questions asking about how much of the past I'm going to go through before I get back to the present. I going to keep going through the past like this until Sookie gets settled, then I'm going to go through the remaining years quickly, stopping at important events, until we make it back to the present.

I've also heard a lot of concerns about there being a question of incest if Sookie and Eric end up together. I want to make it clear that I don't have anything planned or outlined, I just write the story as I go, but I have to say, incest does not float my boat in any way so you can be sure that this story will not have an incest feel.

Also, I wanted to say that I have over 100 reviews for this story! So thanks to everyone that reviewed.

I have to thank my beta lover Moercks87. She is awesome!

As always I own nothing so don't sue me and any remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

After we discussed a few more areas of business, Pam left promising that she would return the next night to take Sookie shopping for "proper attire," whatever that meant.

I went into the living room to check on Sookie and found her asleep on the couch.

I was a little worried about sending her with Pam the next night. Pam was as child friendly as a bear trap. Hopefully, Sookie would make it back alive and with all of her limbs.

I picked Sookie up and carried her to her room.

I needed to make a list of things to do with regard to Sookie.

Pam would be taking her to buy clothes tomorrow evening.

I also needed to find Sookie a mentor to help tutor her with her telepathy.

A telepath. I could not believe that I had actually acquired a telepath. And the best part was that she was still so young.

She would not know anything but what I told her and she would never question me. Telepaths are notorious for not being able to glamour and hard to control. Of course you could threaten their lives or the lives of their family but then the telepath would tell you anything to keep their family alive, even if it was a lie.

No, it was much better to be on good terms with your telepath.

With Sookie being so young, I wondered what the appropriate age was to leave a child by itself…

I would have to ask Ruth. I did not want to chance leaving Sookie by herself and risk her injuring herself.

That train of thought made me think of another thing to add to the list. Sookie would need someone to take care of her. I could not neglect my duties as sheriff for much longer and I did not have the desire to spend all of my time with a child, telepath or not.

Plus, during the day, she would need someone to take care of her while I was… indisposed of.

Hmm, she may need two caretakers, one for the day and one for at night. I would discuss all of this with Pam and Ruth. Surely the two women could figure out all the details.

I went back up to my office to finish some work, including ordering a new refrigerator for my day room. The talk with Sookie reminded me that I needed to store my blood supply somewhere besides the refrigerator in the kitchen.

My mind began to wonder once again. This time I thought of returning to Fangtasia. Even though it was a bar for the supernatural, mostly vampires, some brought humans. If I saw a human I wanted, none of them refused me, I did not even have to use my glamour.

Since I found Sookie my personal life had been somewhat lacking. Of course I was lucky to have found a telepath, but there was nothing that I could do with her now. She did not even know how to use her powers.

And yet, I had spent every minute since I found her, with her. I had not left my house in two days.

At least when Pam took her shopping the next night, I would be able to find some kind of… release.

I quickly finished my paper work and went to my chamber to rest for the day.

I had already made an arrangement with Ruth that she was to come before I went to rest, at least until I could find a permanent person to take care of Sookie.

I waited until I heard Ruth come in the front door before I let the pull of the sun take me.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

I awoke just before sunset and decided that I needed to add more room onto my chamber. Until vampires exposed themselves, I could draw attention to myself by light proofing my entire house, so I had to remain in my day room downstairs. I had bought this house fairly recently and had yet to finish remodeling it to meet my needs.

As the sun faded I blurred up to my bedroom and showered. A bathroom was definitely something I needed to add to my chamber. The microwave and refrigerator I had ordered the night before were sitting in my bedroom. All I had to do was install them and I would be able to store and drink my meals in the privacy of my day chamber.

When I walked downstairs, Ruth was in the kitchen with Sookie and Sookie was eating.

"I didn't see you come in, Mr. Northman."

I did not feel like dealing with Ruth's probing questions me so I just shrugged my shoulders.

Upon hearing my name, Sookie spun around in her chair and had the biggest shit-eating grin on her face.

"I'm heading home now. Is there anything that you need before I go?"

"No, you can leave."

When Sookie heard the front door close she jumped up and said, "Did you know that Ruth knows about vampires?"

Nothing she could have said would have shocked me more.

"What?"

"I've been practicing reading minds so I asked Miss Ruthie what she thought about vampires and she looked surprised that I asked her and so I looked in her head and I saw a picture of a lady with brown hair and her fangs were out and she was pretty but then Miss Ruthie said that vampires aren't real but I know she knows they are because she knows a vampire!" Sookie rambled out.

Sookie would make a great vampire, apparently she did not need to breathe.

I did not know how to respond to what Sookie had told me. Everything would be easier if Ruth knew the truth and did not have an issue working for a vampire. I would not have to hide everything and worry about glamouring Ruth if she found out.

"How sure are you?"

"Hundred percent. She thought about the vampire lady a lot after I asked her. She knows about vampires and she knows that you're a vampire too."

Of course, if you knew what to look for you could spot a vampire. It would be easy for Ruth, especially since she worked in my home on a daily basis.

I would add Ruth's knowledge of vampires to the list of things that I need to discuss with Pam. Speaking of…

"Sookie, you should go get ready. Pam will be here to pick you up and take you shopping."

"I don't want to go with her!" Sookie yelled.

I was surprised by her reaction. The entire time I have had Sookie, she had obeyed everything I told her to do. Now, not only was she disobeying me, but she was also yelling at me.

"You ARE going with Pam," I growled. "You do not have a choice."

Usually, when I used that tone with someone they were scared. Even Pam knew her place. But of course this little girl would stand up to me.

"You're not the boss of me! I don't have to listen to you. I don't like her and I'm not going with her. She tried to eat me!"

"Pam made a mistake and she is sorry for it. I promise she will not harm you. You have to go because you do not have many things here and you cannot live off of what Ruth bought you."

"Are you coming?"

"No, I have something I have to do," or someone, I added in my head. I would not lower myself to masturbation when I could go out and find a willing human to service me, as well as feed me.

Before Sookie could reply, I heard a horn blow.

**Pam POV**

I pulled up to Eric's house to pick up _Sookie_ to take her shopping for new clothes.

I honked the horn and yelled, "Let's go, Teacup!"

The front door opened and Sookie stepped out in another hideous outfit, jean short overalls and a black t-shirt. I never wore black unless I was forced to so Teacup wouldn't either.

She opened the front passenger car door and slid in.

"Don't you need a high chair or something?"

"Don't you need a muzzle or something?"

Ooh, I think I was going to like Teacup.

We headed toward the outlet stores in Shreveport. The little creature next to me was pretty quiet and things were fine until she turned on the radio. I didn't know what Teacup thought was music but that shit was not it.

"No, no, Teacup. NEVER touch the radio."

"I'm bored."

"Then look out the window. We're driving, what do you expect to be doing?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and fell back into the seat.

"Stop being a brat, Teacup. It's not cute."

We didn't speak the rest of the way to Nordstrom.

I pulled the car up to the doors and got out.

"Let's go, Teacup."

"I don't think you're supposed to park here. It says fire zone."

"Right, and if there is a fire I want to be the first to leave. I can park wherever I want. Now, come on."

She followed me into the store, I hoped, Eric would be pissed if I lost her. I walked the familiar path to the section of the store with the clothes in my size and started looking through the racks.

"We're supposed to be getting clothes for me, not you."

"We'll get to it. Here, hold this," I said as I handed her a stack of clothes.

"I'm not carrying these."

"Sookie, if you don't listen to me I'm going to tell Eric you're not being a good girl. Do you want me to tell Eric?"

"No," she mumbled. I was glad she at least liked or feared Eric enough to listen when I threatened her with him. I didn't know what had happened between last night and tonight but this was definitely a different side of Sookie. Eric was going to have his hands full with this one.

"Good, now let's hurry up and get you some clothes. I don't want to spend my whole night with you."

Her face fell and I almost felt bad. What the fuck?

We walked to the kids' section and I picked out lots of skirts, blouses, and dresses. I held them up to Sookie to judge the size but with her arms full of my clothes it was hard to tell.

"Let's go to a dressing room."

She followed behind me like a lost dog and I actually felt a little sorry for her. Me having feelings, can you imagine?

It was like Sookie was being turned. She had lost her family and we had to avoid her being seen by people she knew because they all thought she was dead. She discovered how different she was from everyone else and she'd never fit in with regular humans again, if she ever did. I could relate to her situation but I didn't want to get attached to her. I hated children, they were gross. But something about Sookie reminded me of myself.

Once we got to the dressing room, I helped Sookie into her new clothes and they fit perfectly. Of course they did since I picked them out.

"Pam, I don't like these clothes, I feel like an old lady."

I rolled my eyes at her assessment. "If you're going to live with Eric then you have to look nice. You can't run around wear clothes like this," I said holding up her overalls. "You look like a hillbilly. Eric wouldn't want you to dress like this."

Defeated, she said, "Fine, just get them. Can we go now?"

It amazed me how all I had to do was mention Eric's name and she did whatever I said. I wouldn't need to worry about not being about to glamour her after all.

We walked to the register and I paid for our clothes before we headed back outside to my car.

There was a cop standing by it on his radio. I opened the trunk and threw the bags in as he approached me.

"Excuse me miss? Is this your car?"

"No, you idiot. I just happen to have the keys and I'm putting my bags inside."

He looked shocked for about two seconds before I glamoured the worthless bag of blood.

"Go back to your car, drive to the interstate and keep driving until you run out of gas."

He nodded his head and walked off to his car as Sookie and I got into mine.

"Can you really make anyone do whatever you want?"

"I can't make you listen, can I?"

She looked down into her lap, which I noticed she did a lot.

It wasn't too late so I drove to Dairy Queen to get Sookie ice cream. While we waited for Sookie's cone, I entertained her by showing her how I could glamour the humans. Eric might have been pissed I was using my glamour so freely but Sookie was pleased.

After Sookie was happy with an ice cream cone in her hand, we drove back to Eric's house.

We both grabbed some bags as we went into the house.

Sookie ran through the house looking for Eric. She eventually found him in his office. She pulled him down the stairs behind her and led him to the couch. He had more color to his cheeks than when we had left. He'd fed.

"Look at the clothes we bought!" Sookie said enthusiastically as she started pulling clothes out of the bags.

**Eric POV**

I got back from Fangtasia and went to my office, again, to do more work.

I heard the front door open and then heard the pitter-patter of little feet as Sookie ran through the house. She opened the office door and grabbed my hand. I allowed her to drag me downstairs. I sat on the couch as she showed me her new clothes. I was not surprised that they all looked just like Pam's clothes.

"Do you like them?" Sookie smiled at me.

"Of course little one, I love them."

She beamed at me and grabbed her bags and headed up to her room. "I'm gonna go put my clothes away." Her voice faded as she went up the stairs.

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Pam and I had a talk.

"She needs someone to take care of her during the day and night. I cannot stay with her like I have been. My businesses are suffering from my absence."

"I'll look into, Eric. Is there anything else?"

"We need to find another telepath that can train her. She used her powers on her own today. She said Ruth knows about vampires."

"How in the hell would Ruth know a thing like that?" Pam growled.

"Apparently, she knows one. Sookie saw it in her mind."

"What are you going to do about this?"

"Sookie thinks we should tell her about us."

"No offense, but Sookie isn't that bright. She's a human child, she doesn't know anything," Pam said with her hands on her hips.

"It does have its advantages. If Ruth truly knew about us, it would make things easier."

"It's your decision to make, Eric. Is there anything else?"

"That is all, for now."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Pam said as she walked out the door.

I went upstairs to check on Sookie and she was asleep in the floor by her closet. I picked her up and put her in her bed.

I went back to my office to do more work. I never thought my nights would turn into this.

* * *

**A/N:** So... yeah. That's it, lol.

Don't forget to review! If you don't I'll be a sad panda :K


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** *peeks in* Soo... what's been going on...

Hi guys, I feel REALLY bad about being MIA for two weeks but with school, breaking my foot, sick baby, and writer's block, I've been busy.

I want to go over a few questions I've been asked:

1. Sookie has not been molested in this story. She has not met Gran so she wouldn't have met her great uncle, who molested her in the books.

2. Vampires haven't come out yet, so Fangtasia is like Josephine's in Club Dead, for now.

3. It's getting closer to that point where things are going to be speeding up. I'm saying this because I've had a few concerns about the pace, but I don't want to rush through Sookie getting to know Pam and Eric just because people are impatient about getting back to the present. The background story builds the characters and helps you understand them better.

I have to thank my beta lover Morecks87 for beta-ing this thing.

As always, I do not own anything so don't sue me.

* * *

After working in my office for what felt like countless hours, I went to my day chamber to rest. I had gotten a lot of things done in regards to Sookie's care. I found her possible home-school teachers and I had set up an appointment to meet with a telepath I had worked with before. By the end of the night, I hoped to have all of those issues involving Sookie resolved.

Ruth already arrived for work but I wanted to wait until I rose to talk to her about her knowledge of vampires.

I got into my bed and slid under the covers. I fell into my daytime rest thinking about all the changes I still needed to make to my day room. I would need a bathroom with a shower and a Jacuzzi tub at least. It was such an inconvenience not to have these things readily available.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

When I woke up, I could hear Sookie and Ruth upstairs in the kitchen. I hurried upstairs to my bedroom to shower and get ready for the evening. A shower was definitely at the top of my list of things I needed to add. Then I went downstairs in the direction of the kitchen.

"Ruth, I need to speak with you," I told her as I walked into the kitchen. "Sookie, go to your room."

Sookie got up and walked up the stairs, eyeing me the whole way.

I had decided that I was going to reveal myself as a vampire to Ruth. If things did not go smoothly I could always glamour her.

Honestly, if she knew what we were and was still willing to work for me, life would be much easier. I would not have to sneak around in my own home hoping no one found out what I really was.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Northman?"

I immediately dropped my fangs, showing Ruth. She gasped in surprise. I thought, here goes nothing.

Even though Ruth gasped, she did not appear to be scared. She most certainly knew about vampires.

"How long have you known?"

"About you in particular or vampires in general, Mr. Northman?" She fidgeted with her hands, she was nervous.

"Both."

"Well, I have a 23 year old daughter, or at least she was 23 when she was turned. One night, she went out with her boyfriend and didn't come home. The next night I put out a missing person's report. I looked for her for a week before she showed up again. Instantly, I could tell there was something different about her. Her skin was pale and she acted different. I was surprised that her boyfriend was with her. They came to the front door and when I moved for them to enter, they told me they needed to be invited inside, which I did without hesitation. We sat down in the living room and they told me everything. He said that he loved her so he turned her. It took three days and the only reason they didn't come right away was because she was still unpredictable."

Blood lust, I thought.

"Why did they come back to see you?"

"Mary missed me and she wanted to see me again before they left. They wanted to see the world now that Mary was immortal." Ruth avoided looking at me. She knew her daughter should not have visited her after she was turned, revealing vampires in the process.

"Why did they not glamour you afterward?"

"Because Mary still comes and visits me." The fact that she even knew what glamour was showed she knew too much.

"How long have you known about me?"

She looked me in the eyes before she spoke to me. "I had suspicions a little while after I started working for you. I didn't know for sure until just now when you exposed your fangs."

"Do you have a problem working for a vampire?"

"No." She did not hesitate and her pulse was even. That was a positive sign.

"Can you keep the fact that I am a vampire a secret?"

"I've kept my daughter's secret for this long."

"How long has your daughter been a vampire?"

"About 20 years."

"So about the amount of time you have been working for me?"

"I guess so."

"You can go now. Will I see you before sunrise?"

"Yes, Mr. Northman."

Well, that went exceptionally well.

I went upstairs to my office to call Pam. On my way there, I ran into Sookie.

"She's telling the truth."

"What?"

"Miss Ruthie is telling the truth." I smiled at Sookie. She was already trying to be helpful.

"Thank you, Sookie." She beamed at me and ran back to her room.

I went to my office and called Pam.

"Pamela."

"Yes my_ liege_?" I could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

"We have some interviews to conduct tonight. Be at my house shortly." I hung up without waiting for a response. It is not like she could defy me anyway.

When I opened my office door, Sookie came out of her bedroom.

"Do you want to watch television with me?" I asked since it was clear Sookie wanted to spend time with me. She nodded and followed me into the living room.

Not long after Sookie and I turned on the television, Pam opened the front door and sat on the couch on the other side of Sookie.

"So, when are these candidates supposed to show up?"

"Shortly."

"How did the talk with Ruth go?"

"Well. Her daughter was turned 20 years ago. She knows about vampires."

"Are we going to kill her?"

I heard Sookie gasp in between us. "Pam, think before you speak."

"Well, are you? It cannot be safe to let a human live when they know about us."

"Ruth has assured me that she can be discrete. Now we will talk no more about this, especially in front of the child."

"Eric, please. She is going to be growing up around a bunch of vamps. She is going to have to learn to handle things like this.

"Sookie, can you go upstairs and make sure you are presentable for our guests?"

"Yes, Eric," she sighed.

"Seriously, Eric, how do you get her to heel so well? As soon as she got in the car with me, when I took her shopping, she was like a rabid dog. Which is ironic because she asked if _I_ needed a muzzle. I think we should spank her."

"Pam, shut up. First of all, we are not using Sookie until I can be sure she can handle what she is going to _hear_. She will be of no use to us if she is emotionally damaged. Secondly, you will have to be conscious of what you say around her. You forget she is a human child."

"But she's our human child! I don't want her to be oblivious of what happens in the world. She will be aware of everything there is to know. I'm going to make sure of it."

"Protective are we?" I smirked at Pam. She has never shown much interest in anything beside herself.

"Like you said, a telepath could be of use to us."

I knew it was more than that but decided to leave it alone. "We need to go to Fangtasia for the interviews. Go get Sookie."

"You can't be serious, Eric! You can't take a child to a bar! Especially one filled with vamps and other supes."

"I am not inviting a bunch of strangers into my home."

"Fine, but we are not taking Sookie to Fangtasia."

"Is that so, Pamela?" I growled. "When did you gain the right to tell me what I should and should not do?"

"Eric, I'm just trying to do what's best for Sookie. But if you think taking her to a _bar_ filled with _blood thirsty vampires_ is what's best, then I will follow your lead."

"You made your point, Pamela. Where should we do this then?"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Nearly an hour later we were sitting at the kitchen table of a random family's house. We drove to a high-class neighborhood, knocked on one of the houses, and glamoured the family inside. This way Sookie would be in no harm by going to a vampire bar, and the location of my house would remain a secret. This way the people we were meeting with would not know where I lived if things did not go well.

I had Pam call everyone and tell them of our new meeting location. Before anyone arrived, I sent Sookie up to an upstairs bedroom that belonged to the little girl of the family.

Daniel was the first to show up. He was the telepath I wanted to help train Sookie. I was not worried about him detecting Sookie through his telepathy since the human family was still in the house.

I had worked with Daniel before but I was still unsure if I could trust him and since he could not be glamoured. He was the main reason I did not want to hold this meeting at any of my properties.

"Eric," Daniel said with a curt nod. "What can I do for you?"

I could not just come out and say, "I found this human child that I want to use for her telepathy but she does not know how to use it. Can you help her?"

That would be too obvious if he chose not to help.

"I want to offer you a position with me for as long as I need your assistance."

"I've told you before, I don't want to work for just one person. I can maximize my gain by working freelance."

"I will pay whatever you ask. You are the only telepath I know." I knew I sounded desperate but the only thing I could offer him was money. Even if I wanted to threaten his family, he did not have one. A rouge vampire had already killed Daniel's family when Daniel refused to work for him. With his family gone, there was nothing else to threaten him with.

"Fine, I'll help you." That was too easy.

"Why did you change your mind so fast?" I asked wearily.

"Because the little girl upstairs won't last long in the vampire world without knowing how to use her talent."

Despite my irritation at being found out, I smirked. "How did you know?"

"We've been communicating since I approached the house. She's attached to you already." My face must have shown what I was thinking because Daniel quickly added, "I can see it all in her mind. She doesn't know how to shield herself yet."

"Very well. Shall we discuss your payment now?"

"I only ask that you pay for my expenses while I'm training her."

"Fine. Will you stay while we interview possible nannies and tutors for Sookie?"

"Yeah, it's important to have trustworthy people around her and I'll be able to get into the minds of the candidates to see if they're being honest."

Pam snorted. It was the first remark she had made during the entire exchange.

"Alright, let's sort through these blood bags." Pam, ever so eloquent.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Seriously, Eric. Are we done yet? Sookie would be better off taking care of herself than having these whores take care of her!"

"I agree with Pam. They only thing on those women's minds was what position they wanted you to fuck them in."

"Why does Sookie even need some little slut to watch her? Daniel will be with Sookie during the day and when he isn't with her she will be with her tutor."

"If that's what you choose to do, I don't mind Eric. It's been a while since I've had to raise a child but it's like riding a bike."

Sookie was too important for me to trust her with anyone.

"I think it's a good idea, Eric. He'll already be helping her with her telepathy and Ruth will be there as well. We don't need to invite another person into the house if we don't have to."

"Fine, but what about finding Sookie a tutor? I will not have her growing up to be some illiterate fool."

"Eric, just let me handle Sookie. I was a college professor before I started living off of my telepathy. I'll take care of her." As he said that last sentence, I saw red.

"You will be there for her during the day but make no mistake, Daniel. I am the one who owns Sookie. She is mine!" I growled the last part.

"Hey, I meant no offense," Daniel back peddled. I knew he was not scared of me, since losing his family, Daniel was not scared of anything.

"Eric, get ahold of yourself. Having Daniel take care of Sookie is the best thing for her. Daniel is the answer to all of our problems and it would make Sookie more comfortable if she had less people handling her. Not to mention how much safer she'd be. You choose one of those whores to raise Sookie and they'd turn on you out of spite after you fucked them then ignored them."

Resigned, I agreed. "Fine, Daniel, you will take care of Sookie during the day. But if anything happens to her or if I feel as though she is not being properly cared for, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Come, Teacup, we're leaving," Pamela called up the steps.

Sookie came downstairs and smiled up at me as Pam and I took her hands.

We all walked out of the house together and headed back to mine. Daniel was set to come over the next day to start his work with Sookie. I, for one, could not wait.

* * *

**A/N:** Another chapter down and we are getting closer to fast-forwarding.


	6. Nanny Search Outtake

**A/N:** *peeks in* I hope I still have readers... Sorry this took so long, again. I had EXTREME writer's block but writing this little outtake has helped me overcome it!

If you've read my one-shot for Missus_T's birthday and you reviewed, you know that it's not a one-shot anymore. I've been working on it while this was with my beta lover, Morecks87, and I'm really excited about it. I'll be alternating updates between Cop-Out and the Beginning of Everything. Anywho, enough rambling.

I own nothing, CH owns everything, and any remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

"Will you stay while we interview possible nannies and tutors for Sookie?" I asked Daniel.

"Yeah, it's important to have trustworthy people around her."

"Alright, let's sort through these blood bags." Pam, ever so eloquent.

We waited a little while but still, no one showed up.

"Pam, you DID remember to call all of the prospects and tell them our new location after you called Daniel, right?"

"Of course Eric, I'm not an imbecile. I'll be right back."

Pam went into the kitchen of the family's house and I heard her use their home phone to place some phone calls. Phone calls she should have already made. This was going to slow down the interview process considerably.

Pam came back into the room as if I could not hear her in the kitchen. I remained silent but rolled my eyes when she looked at me.

"Okay Eric I forgot! Geez, you would have thought I broke your Freya statue!" Pam growled as she shifted her weight and put her hand on her hip.

"Pamela," I growled and she sat, putting an end to that conversation. Daniel sat looking smug in his chair. I really hated that bastard.

Within 20 minutes, we had our first interviewee at the door. Pam and I both looked to Daniel.

"Eric, I know I've agreed to work for you, but it's as a telepathic tutor, not as your butler," Daniel said as he got up to answer the door.

I made sure that everyone that applied for the job was a woman. Not only did I not want men to be around Sookie, but the women would prove useful to me as well.

The first woman that walked in was in her early 20s, or so the profile on her said. I had background checks performed on everyone who applied. Only the ones that passed were given an interview. She had short curly blonde hair and her eyes were sapphire blue. She wore a tiny little dress. I felt it was inappropriate for taking care of Sookie's needs, but perfect for taking care of mine.

She walked up to Pam and me and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Amanda but you can call me Mandy," she leered at me.

"Sit the fuck down and don't look at him like that. If you came here for a hump you can walk right back out that door, bitch. And don't tell me what to call you. I'll call you whatever I want. Right now 'slut' sounds about right. So Slut, what qualities do you have that would make this job right for you?" Pam smiled at the girl. It was not a friendly smile.

"Mandy" stood there gapping at Pam with her hand still reached out for a handshake. It was clear she was not sure what to do.

"Right. So you're completely uncertified to take care of Teacup. Why am I not surprised? Danny, do me a favor and escort Slut out?"

Daniel looked unsure of what to do. Eventually he got up and grabbed the girl by her elbow, leading her out of the house. The whole way to the door, the girl looked back at me, stunned.

"Pamela. What the fuck was that?"

"Eric please, you can't be mad at me for that shit. That girl was a slut and you know it. If you want to get your dick wet, fine, do it at Fangtasia, not here. Who we trust with Sookie's care is much too important for you to be thinking with little Eric."

"Now Pam, you know there is nothing little about me."

"Eric, be serious."

"Fine, but do not take that tone with every one of the prospects. Amanda could have proven to be a fine nanny."

"The only thing Amanda was willing to baby sit was your dick. And it was clear she doesn't handle unexpected situations well. You saw the way she stood there gapping after I talked to her. She acted like she's never seen a vamp before."

"Yes Pam, I am sure that is what it was. Never mind the fact that she did not know about vampires."

Daniel came walking back into the room and sat in the chair was he sitting in before.

"FYI, I don't like to be called Danny, and you may not call me whatever you want." Pam opened her mouth to argue but I shot her a look. If those two started arguing, no one else would get interviewed tonight.

"Even though you were a bitch about it, you were right. Amanda was a slut, at least in her mind. She kept thinking about fucking you," he motioned to me.

"Well, of course she did. That should not eliminate her from being considered for the job."

"Yes, it should. If all she wants to think about is fucking the boss, she won't be thinking about what's best for Sookie."

"Fine, Pam, eliminate the sluts," I said exaggerating the word sluts.

"I don't think that will leave us with much."

"Shut up, Pam. Daniel, show another girl in."

Daniel got up and let another girl into the house. This time he did it without talking back.

The next candidate was a little shorter than the first but still fuckable. She had long, red hair and emerald green eyes. This one did not approach Pam.

"Ooh, look. This one didn't instantly open her mouth, one point for you," Pam put a tally on a clipboard she had. Where in the hell did that come from?

"What Eric? You thought I came unprepared?" Pam said as she caught me eyeing her.

"No, Pam, not you, the person who forgot to call everyone and tell them where to meet us."

"Fuck you very much," she said to me. "You may sit, Number Two," she said, looking at the girl.

"Are you talkin' to me?" The girl asked smacking gum in her mouth.

"Bad grammar, poor manners, and smacking your gum like white trash. You're at negative two and you've only just opened your slut hole."

I looked at Pam as she glared at "Number Two." Then I looked to Daniel. He was making a circle with one hand and sticking a finger from his other hand into the circle.

What the fuck? He was mouthing something…

"Sex, sex," Daniel whispered, so low even I could barely hear him.

Ah, the girl Pam deemed "Number Two" was thinking about sex. But she was not looking at me. Looked like Number Two liked mean bitches.

Pam glanced over at Daniel and rolled her eyes. "How old are you?"

Number Two turned around to look at Daniel but he shot his hands to his lap so he would not be caught. When Number Two turned back around, Daniel stuck his tongue out at Pam.

"Careful or I might bite it off."

Daniel sat back like a scorned child, crossing his arms over his chest. Sookie was going to like him. She did not have another child to play with.

"Enough!" I growled. "Listen, whatever your name is. You are not going to work out. I do not want my Sookie talking like an ignorant redneck. But thank you for your time."

At least she had enough brains to know when to get the fuck out.

Pam, Daniel, and I all glanced towards the steps at the same time. Sookie was coming down the stairs.

"Sookie, you are supposed to stay upstairs. What are you doing down here?" I did not want to introduce Sookie to anyone until I was sure they would be staying in her life.

"I only wanted ask you a question."

Pam elbowed me, hard. "Of course, Teacup, what is it?"

I looked to Daniel but he had his head down.

"Why did that lady want Pam to push her over the couch and whip her? Why would anyone want a whippin? Whippins are for bad girls." Sookie looked truly baffled and that made it worse.

"Another slut, Eric?" Pam growled low so Sookie couldn't hear her. "After this I'm going to drain that bitch."

"Sookie, go back upstairs and I want you to watch television. Do not try to listen to what is happening down here. Focus really hard on the TV," Daniel told Sookie.

Sookie looked to Pam and I, and I nodded.

I was NOT looking forward to another candidate.

"Well, that went well. Don't you think so, Eric?"

I groaned, "We are never going to find someone."

"Don't worry, Eric. If I have to, I'll raise Teacup myself."

"With that filthy mouth, I'm surprised Eric let's you around Sookie."

"Fuck off, I'm good with Teacup and you know it!"

"Enough!" I roared. "We will interview one more girl for the nanny position, and if she does not work out we will have to think of another solution."

Daniel led the final girl into the room. This girl had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a skirt that looked shorter than the underwear beneath it. At least I assumed she was wearing underwear. With the type of girls we have had so far, I could not be sure this girl had any underwear on.

"Katie, is it? How cute," Pam said, glancing up at the girl from her clipboard. She must have learned from the other two girls because she did not say a word, she only nodded.

"One question, what would cause you to dress like that when you are being interviewed for a position in childcare?"

I could tell Pam was getting irritated with this one.

"Well, I saw a flyer at the bar and I thought 'Hell yeah, I'd watch some brat if it means more time around him.' It's so hard to get close to him at the bar."

Pam looked positively horrified. "Get the fuck out, you nasty whore. You will not come to an interview we are trying to conduct in order to find a nanny with your disease infested vagina looking for a quick fuck!"

"I'll have you know I got rid of my syphilis a couple weeks ago!" What the fuck?!

For once, Pam was speechless. She sat there, staring at Katie. "Daniel, get her out of here," Pam said calmly.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not touching her!"

"You will get her out of here before I kill her."

Daniel did not move. Katie stood there glaring at Pam before Pam jumped towards her. The shock must have gotten her brain to start working because she ran out of the house.

"Are you fucking kidding me? The bar, Eric? You set up flyers at the fucking bar?"

"I could not think of any other place to look for help. I did not think only the sexually loose women would come."

"Seriously, Eric. Are we done yet? Sookie would be better off taking care of herself than having these whores take care of her!"

"I agree with Pam. They only thing on those women's minds was what position they wanted you to fuck them in."

"Why does Sookie even need some little slut to watch her? Daniel will be with Sookie during the day and when he isn't with her she will be with her tutor."

"If that's what you choose to do, I don't mind Eric. It's been a while since I've had to raise a child but it's like riding a bike."

Sookie was too important for me to trust her with anyone.

"I think it's a good idea, Eric. He'll already be helping her with her telepathy and Ruth will be there as well. We don't need to invite another person into the house if we don't have to."

"Fine, but what about finding Sookie a tutor? I will not have her growing up to be some illiterate fool."

"Eric, just let me handle Sookie. I was a college professor before I started living off of my telepathy. I'll take care of her." As he said that last sentence, I saw red.

"You will be there for her during the day but make no mistake, Daniel. I am the one who owns Sookie. She is mine!" I growled the last part.

"Hey, I meant no offense," Daniel back peddled. I knew he was not scared of me, since losing his family, Daniel was not scared of anything.

"Eric, get ahold of yourself. Having Daniel take care of Sookie is the best thing for her. Daniel is the answer to all of our problems and it would make Sookie more comfortable if she had less people handling her. Not to mention how much safer she'd be. You choose one of those whores to raise Sookie and they'd turn on you out of spite after you fucked them then ignored them."

Resigned, I agreed. "Fine, Daniel, you will take care of Sookie during the day. But if anything happens to her or if I feel as though she is not being properly cared for, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Come, Teacup, we're leaving," Pamela called up the steps.

Sookie came downstairs and smiled up at me as Pam and I took her hands.

We all walked out of the house together and headed back to mine. Daniel was set to come over the next day to start his work with Sookie. I, for one, could not wait.

* * *

**A/N:** I want to thank all you loyal readers who stuck with me through all of my updating failure!

This is my last week of school so I suspect I will have more time to dedicate to writing.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I bet some of you never thought you'd see me again, lol.

Sorry for taking so long to update but not only has RL been hectic but I've spent months trying to write a chapter that would make everyone happy and it didn't work out. When I finally sat down and wrote what felt right, this chapter came together in a few days.

One person told me, "I definitely think you should treat your story as something you do for you, and if the rest of us like it that's a bonus!" and she's right. Because if I don't, this will start to feel like a job and it won't be fun anymore.

Anyway, to all of my readers who have stuck with me, THANK YOU! A story has been brought to my attention that is like mine and if you haven't run off with that dirty mistress, I love you, lol.

Also, greenlemons has made me a banner for this story which I have posted on my profile :D

As always, I LOVE MY BETA morecks87, *whispers* even if she's mean ;)

Everything belongs to CH and any remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

The meeting with Daniel went much better than expected last night. Aside from the fact that he's an insolent human who tries to undermine me every chance he gets.

I had to bring the bastard home with after we interviewed the sluts since Eric still didn't trust Daniel and wanted him to be watched. The silver lining of that situation was that Daniel struggled and had to be forced.

How did you keep an eye on him when you sleep during the day? one might ask. Well, it went something like this.

Wait until Eric takes Sookie out of sight.

Punch Daniel to knock him out since he can't be glamoured.

Throw him roughly in the trunk for back talking all night.

Drive wildly and be sure to hit every bump and pot hole on the way home.

Grab Daniel by one arm and drag him up the concrete steps into the house, not taking care of his head or other vital body parts.

Take him into the locked basement, where you occasionally keep prisoners, and chain him to the wall.

Finally, take a picture of yourself and put it on the torture table across from him so he knows who did this to him if and when he ever gains consciousness.

He'd been in the basement for about.. 19 hours so it was time for me to check on him.

I got out of bed and rushed through a shower and dressing. No doubt Eric wanted me there at sundown.

I made sure to make lots of noise walking down into the basement so Daniel would know I was coming. Maybe instill a little fear in him…

Daniel was still standing against the wall where I'd left him. In fact, he looked perfectly fine except for the numerous cuts, bumps, and bruises from his transportation. Oh, and his jaw was a mess from where I'd punched him.

"Well, well, well, look who made it through the day."

"You left me down here alone, Pam. It's when you have constant attention that you should be worried about surviving."

"In any case, Eric, and especially Sookie, won't want to see you this way. Open up," I said as I elongated my fangs.

"No. I'm not taking any of your blood," he said as he tried to back up further into the wall.

"You don't really have a choice Danny Boy. It works like this. You can't be trusted, we can't keep track of you, and you can't be glamoured. Either you take some of my blood or the deal's off and little Sookie will have to find a way to cope with her telepathy alone." _That's right Pam, say it like you don't care!_

"You can try to fool other people but you can't fool me. You care about Sookie more than you want to and you wouldn't leave her to cope with her telepathy alone when you know I can help her."

"There's something you need to understand," I said, as I got closer to his face. "When it comes to Sookie, I will never place her above Eric and keeping him safe. She is a pathetic little human child who is nothing more than a phase in Eric's life. When he's done with her, she'll be killed and we won't spare another thought for her. Until then, Eric cares about her well being, so you are going to take my blood, and do anything else I tell you, because both you and the dear little Sookie Stackhouse are expendable!"

He took my blood without further protest.

**Eric POV**

I woke up eager for Pam and Daniel to arrive. I already left a note for Ruth and asked her to stay late since I thought it was important for her to meet Daniel. They were going to be working together, after all.

I went into the kitchen to check on Sookie and Ruth since I always seemed to find them there when I rose. As usual, Sookie was sitting and having dinner while Ruth was cleaning up.

"Eric!"

"Sookie," I said in greeting. "Pam should be here shortly," I told Ruth. Now that Ruth knew we were vampires, or rather, now that we knew that she knew, she had been more accommodating to our needs. This included but not limited to, taking care of the special needs of vampire guests, as well as tending to humans guests and helping to hide our secret from any company that may not know.

"Sookie, do you remember that man we saw last night?" She nodded. "He will be coming with Pam and he is going to help you see into people's heads."

"No!" She screamed as she jumped down from her stool, her eyes were wide with panic. "I wasn't supposed to tell other people! Mommy will be so mad at me! Only daddy can help me! I want my daddy!" she yelled as she ran up the stairs.

Before I could go after her, the front door opened. Pam and Daniel walked in looking at odds. Daniel's jaw looked much better than it had last night after Pam had punched him. It was almost completely healed, which would have been impossible had it healed on its own.

One look at Pam's downcast eyes and I knew. She had given him blood.

"Pamela, I need to see you in my office immediately."

I did not wait to see if she followed before I turned and went up the stairs to my office. Sookie would have to wait.

I sat at my desk just as Pam entered the room.

"What were you thinking?"

"I don't know what you mean, Master." She only called me that when she thought she was in trouble.

"Do not lie to me Pamela!" I growled. "You have never given another your blood to another. Why have you given it to him?"

"He is the only other telepath we besides Sookie, and he is the only one that can help her," she pleaded. "We can't afford to have anything happen to him. Giving him my blood gives me the ability to find him whether he tries to run or he's taken. There is no other vampire you trust more than me. The only other option would have been to give him your blood and I didn't want you to have to make that decision. Let me help you. Let me do this for you and for Sookie."

"Why do you care about her Pam? You do not care about anyone."

"I care about you."

"I am your maker. You have to care about me."

"You know that's not true," Pam smirked. Then her face became serious. "I don't know why I care if she lives or dies. I can't explain it. When I look at Sookie, I see myself when I was human. She's just lost her entire family at a young age. My family was too concerned with maintaining their high social status to care for me. If I had had someone to take care of me when I was human, I might not have become as cold as I am. Before you, I didn't care about anyone, not even myself. I don't want Sookie to end up like me. I want her to have more than one person in her life that she can depend on."

"As long as Sookie is with us, she will never be alone. As soon as Sookie becomes better acquainted with her telepathy, she will be able to live a normal life. Sookie cannot stay with us forever. Eventually she will want a life of her own and we will give her that. The best thing we can do for Sookie is to prepare her for that life."

"Do you honestly believe Sookie could ever have a normal life being a telepath and living with vampires?"

"I will make it so she is able to live a normal life," I argued.

"What happened when I arrived?" Pam said, giving up the subject of Sookie's life.

"Sookie got upset about Daniel helping her with her telepathy. Where is Daniel?"

"I don't know. I left him in the living room when I came in here with you."

We walked out of the office in search of Daniel since Pam was right, he could not be trusted.

As we walked past Sookie's room, we heard voices inside. We looked in and saw Daniel sitting in the chair in the corner of Sookie's room while Sookie sat on the bed.

**Daniel POV**

The evil vamp bitch went off with Eric so I decided to go in search of Sookie. I didn't know the details of their relationship so I thought it would be better if I talked to Sookie alone.

I had to get away from the housekeeper first and I knew she wouldn't just let me wander around Eric's house in search of Sookie. One look into her mind told me just how protective she was of the little girl. Her only child had been turned into a vampire, not only isolating her from her daughter, but also completely eliminating any chance of her having any grandchildren.

"Would I be able to use the bathroom? Pam didn't exactly give me free roam of her house today."

"Of course," she said with a fake smile. She didn't trust me at all. "Right this way." She led me down a hallway off of the living room filled with doorways.

"Will you be able to find your way back?" She was weary of leaving me alone. Even down in this secluded hallway, where no doubt every door was locked.

"Of course," I said, returning her fake smile from earlier. I went into the bathroom and shut the door. After I heard her footsteps go back down the hall, I slowly opened the bathroom door and snuck back down the hallway.

The housekeeper was back in the kitchen loading the dishwasher with the dishes Sookie had used for dinner. The steps upstairs were on the other side of the living room so I had to sneak across the living room to make it up the steps.

Good thing I was used to getting out of bad situations. Working with vampires for years had prepared me for more than any human should have to go through. While Ruth had her head down near the dishwasher, I ran and ducked behind the couch before I ran to the foot of the steps and snuck up them.

I walked slowly down the hall until I heard sniffles coming out of one room. I opened the door and saw a huge bed with Sookie hiding under all of the covers crying.

"Sookie?"

"What?" she asked through her tears.

"Why are you crying?" She didn't answer me but I could hear it in her head.

Eric had told her that I was coming to help her with her telepathy and it scared her. Her father was the only person that had known of her telepathy and believed her. Her mother repeatedly took her to doctors behind Sookie's father's back in attempts to "help" Sookie stop hearing voices.

Her mother had threatened Sookie everyday if Sookie dared to tell anyone about her telepathy. Sookie was scared of her mother.

All of the tests and treatments Sookie had gone through in the short amount of time since her parents had learned of her telepathy were scary. She had been poked and prodded, had numerous brain scans and given all kinds of medication. Of course nothing worked. Sookie didn't have a medical condition, she could just read people's minds.

I had gone through something similar with my own parents.

Sookie's father never knew what Sookie's mom had put her through. Sookie's brother had tried to shelter her as much as possible but he was young too to be much help. He beat up the kids at school who picked on Sookie and he tried to hide her from their mother. In the end, she always found her.

"Sookie, where are your parents and brother now?"

That finally made her sit up and look at me.

"Who are you?" Sookie asked with narrowed eyes.

"I'm Daniel. I'm the one Eric asked to help you with your telepathy."

"Whatever you're here for, I don't need it."

She never answered my question but I could see what happened the moment I mentioned her family. They had died in a car wreck, recently.

"Why are you living here with Eric?"

She didn't even bother to speak this time, but I didn't need her to. Eric saved her from drowning in the river their car fell into. It was fuzzy in her mind but I could gather enough to see what happened. She didn't know how she got to Eric's house but he had taken care of her very well since she'd been here. And she loved Ruth. She was getting used to Pam but was still weary of her since their meeting where Pam tried to eat her.

Overall, she felt safe with Eric and she didn't want to leave him.

"Do you know what I am Sookie?" She didn't answer, just shook her head. "I'm like you. I can see into people's minds."

"Momma said people can't really do that," she whispered.

"Your mother was wrong, I can help you. Don't you think your daddy would want someone to help you?" It was low bringing up her dad but it was the only thing I could think of to make her want me to help her.

"Mommy said the doctors would help me too but they didn't. They only hurt me."

"Did you trust your mommy Sookie?" She shook her head. "Do you trust Eric?"

"He's never hurt me."

"I know Sookie. And Eric wants me to help you. Eric trusts that I can help you and you trust Eric, so you can trust me. Does that make sense?" She nodded her head slowly.

"Good. Now let's go find Pam and Eric, ok?"

She got up and took my hand but we didn't have to go far to find them. They were standing in the doorway. I hated working for vamps. Besides the fact that they slaughtered my family, you never get used to how quiet they can move.

**Eric POV**

"Did you guys have a nice chat?"

"Silence Pamela," I snapped.

"Yes Pamela, heel," Daniel mocked.

"I wish you could read my mind right now," Pam replied.

"Enough!" I growled. I wanted to find out what Daniel had learned from his meeting with Sookie.

"Daniel, come. Let's go to my office. I will be back to check on you later Sookie. Go downstairs and see if Ruth needs any help."

Daniel and Pam followed me as I led the way to my office while Sookie went in search of Ruth. As soon as we got to my office, I sat in my chair and waited for Pam and Daniel to enter and close the door.

"What did you learn?"

"Her mother was a hateful bitch who let doctors torture Sookie while her father had no idea and her brother tried to save her. Have you done anything to talk to Sookie about her family's death?"

"I did not see a reason why it was necessary."

"It might have been a long time since you were little, or even human at all, but Sookie can't handle her family's death without help. I'm not trained to help her with this. She needs to see therapist. I'd like to take her since I'd be about to read both Sookie's and the therapist's minds. I would also be able to keep Sookie from mentioning anything about you and Pam."

"There is only one problem with that. I cannot trust you."

"Pam already gave me her blood and this would be a chance for me to prove myself. How can you expect me to help Sookie if you can't trust me?"

"Let him Eric. I've already given him some of my blood. I'll give him more to make the bond stronger. He won't be able to go anywhere without me finding him and you can send some Weres with him to make sure he doesn't try anything."

"Fine, but if anything goes wrong, I will kill you."

"No offense, but that's not really a great motivator for me to keep Sookie alive. I have nothing to live for."

"Well you better find something, because if Sookie dies, you die. Get your pet under control Pamela."

"Don't worry Master, I'll handle it."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you've all enjoyed it and I've missed you!

Also, I'm working on the next Chapter of Cop-Out, if any of you read that, and it's going well so it shouldn't take months to update, lol.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Here is the next chapter. I hope you are all excited! I was stuck, again, but it was my beta Molly's birthday so I got this idea! It only took me a month to finally sit down, at 5 am, and type it out.

I know I sent teasers out last week and I usually update right after that but I felt like there was something missing after I read through it so I went back and added more.

I've had people ask me what my updating schedule is and I will warn you, with how hectic my life is, I can't update regularly. Even though, sometimes it takes me months to update, I've said it before and I will say it again, I won't quit on these stories. I will write them until they are finished. I owe it to you guys and I owe it to these stories.

Also, this is the point in the story where the fast forwarding starts! So those of you waiting for adult Sookie, she's on her way!

For those of you who read Cop-Out, I'm already 1,300 words into that so YAY ME!

Thank you to my beta morecks87.

I own nothing, CH owns everything, and any remaining mistakes are my own.

Enjoy! (hopefully...)

* * *

"Eric, hurry up! She's coming!" We had been planning this for months and Eric still wasn't ready in time. When she walked through the door, we were going to get her and she wasn't expecting it…

"SURPRISE!"

She screamed as we all jumped out at her.

"Happy birthday, Sookie!" Eric yelled as he ran up to her, blowing a noisemaker in her face. For a 1,000-year-old vampire, he was so immature. Not like me, who was donning a pink sparkly party hat and eagerly waiting to give Sookie her matching one. We were the only ones who got party hats.

"Sookie! Sookie! I have your hat!" I shouted to get her attention. I'm the one that planned the whole damn party. Leave it to Eric to try to jump front and center and get all the credit.

"Would you two stop fighting over her? She's not a doll," Daniel said, standing next to Sookie. He had that stupid smug look on his face because he was able to fool her into walking into the party. Well, congratulations, dumbass. You fooled a 10 year old into following you.

He thought he was so much better at understanding Sookie just because he and Sookie were both telepaths. Well, I could kill him so that made me better than him.

"If Sookie weren't standing there, I'd have a few choice words for you."

"Eric, make them stop. Do that command thing you do. 'Pamela, Daniel. Stop fighting on Sookie's birthday.'"

I looked down at my little Teacup and I couldn't have been happier. She never got over the fact that my clothes look like "old lady clothes," even though they did not, so she began to wear whatever she wanted. Her blond curls surround her head like a halo and the pink dress and black sandals Daniel had her wear looked perfect on her. Yet, if it were her choice, she'd most likely have worn ripped up jeans with grass stains on the knee and a shirt with at least one hole in it. I'd never seen anyone ruin clothes as fast as Sookie. And don't even get me started on her shoes! She got so mad whenever we tried to buy her clothes that were not completely ruined. She was definitely nothing like me.

Since we'd only had Sookie for three years, I still had hope that there was time to shape her. Looking at her now, you could tell she'd grown so much in the past three years.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Looking back, I could remember all of the trials Eric and I had to go through raising a human child for the past three years. I was honestly surprised Sookie had made it.

When she came to me one day with her mouth bleeding, I was so panicked I didn't know what to do. Whatever had hurt her though, I was going to kill it. I didn't even think of the fact that she was sporting blood around a vampire.

Sookie must have seen the look on my face because she shook her head and said, "Pam, its ok. My tooth's just loose."

"Well, how do I stick it back in there?" I asked trying to look into her mouth to see how I could fix it.

"No! It's supposed to come out. When all of my baby teeth are gone, I will have all big teeth."

"What do I need to do?"

"I'm too scared to do it myself but if you grab it and wiggle it and twist it, it will come out."

"Will it hurt?"

"Yes but-"

"I can't do it."

"But you have to! It has to come out. I just can't do it myself. Should I go ask Eric or Daniel?"

Eric was an idiot and might have hurt her and there was no way in hell I was letting that bastard Daniel help her get her tooth out. But maybe if he did hurt her, I would have a reason to kill him! If only Sookie didn't need him…

Besides, if Daniel helped her, he would rub it in my face so I had to do it. No matter how long or painful it was for me.

If Ruth were there I'd have let her help. Ruth was generally the one we went to when we needed help with human stuff. Daniel was a human too, but just barely. He was more of a rat bastard.

"Okay, come here but if I hurt you I want you to tell me so I can stop. Promise?"

"Just do it and get it over with so I can put it under the pillow for the tooth fairy."

Now, I didn't know every creature on the planet, but I was pretty sure there was no such thing as a tooth fairy.

"What in the he-heck are you talking about? There's no such thing as a tooth fairy."

"Yes, there is. Whenever you lose a tooth, you put it under your pillow and the tooth fairy comes and takes your tooth and puts money under the pillow. She used to come for mine and my brother's teeth all the time."

"How much money does this fairy leave?"

"Um, I think it depends because I always got a lot more money than the other kids in my class."

"Well, hurry up and let's get it out before she passes our house!"

I reached in and yanked it out. I was so proud of myself until I heard her yell and saw her mouth filling up with blood.

"I said grab, wiggle and twist! Not grab it and yank!"

"I'm sorry but it had to be done. Now go put it under your pillow before Daniel comes back. He's going to watch you while I run an errand."

As Sookie galloped up the stairs, I started to make plans.

Eric needed me to kill this vamp that'd been asking questions about Sookie. We kept her hidden from everyone and we never let anyone else into the house but sometimes things slipped.

If anyone ever heard Eric and I talk about Sookie, they wouldn't realize what she was, but we still eliminated every threat. It was better to be safe and sorry. We were safe, they were sorry. With all this talk of the tooth fairy Sookie told me about, I had a plan for the curious vampire.

I found him easily enough. He was at his house. He had a human with him but that didn't matter. I busted open the door and glamoured the human into leaving so I wouldn't have to rip his throat out. Just before I staked the vampire, I grabbed some pliers I had brought with me and I ripped all of his teeth out!

After I killed him, I hurried home to shower and change clothes before I went back to Eric's, just in case Sookie was still awake.

With the vampire's teeth in hand, I drove back to Eric's house so I could put them under my pillow in the room I stayed in. Even though I still had my own house, I wanted to be close to Sookie so Eric gave me a room in his house.

If one of Sookie's teeth would bring in a lot of money, then this mouth full should bring in even more. And they would be sure to draw the fairy to me. It had been too long since I'd had fairy blood.

I put the teeth under my pillow and waited in the dark with a lemon for the fairy to arrive. I waited for hours without moving but the little bitch must have known I was there. It was getting close to dawn so I couldn't wait much longer.

What if she knew that this was a vampire's house and she wouldn't come inside? Sookie would be devastated.

I blurred to Sookie's room to check under her pillow and sure enough, the tooth fairy never came.

Sookie would be so upset in the morning so I went back to my room to get my wallet. Sookie didn't tell me how much money the stupid little fairy gave her, and I wasn't going to ask Daniel because then he'd think he was smarter than me. Sookie had said she got a lot more than the other kids in her class so I figured a thousand would be enough.

If not, I could pretend that the fairy had dropped some of the money behind the bed and give her more. But I wouldn't be there when she woke up…

I would just have to wake her up!

I took Sookie's tooth from under her pillow and slipped the wad money under there instead.

Then I shook Sookie awake.

"Sookie! Look! The tooth fairy came!"

"Pam? What are you doing?" Sookie asked sleepily.

"Look under your pillow, she left you money!"

She rose up and looked under her pillow. The look on her face was priceless.

"Oh my! How much money is this?"

"It's a thousand dollars but she may have dropped some!" I yelled, getting anxious and grabbing my wallet for backup.

"A thousand dollars? I've never seen so much money in my life!"

I hadn't thought about over paying but the fairies had a lot of money so surly a thousand dollars wouldn't be too much for them if they wanted to collect children's teeth.

"How much do you usually get?"

"Three dollars. All the kids in my class only got a quarter or a dollar!"

Those cheap ass fairies. It was better that they didn't come to this house. This way Sookie would get the money she deserved for her teeth.

"Go back to sleep now," I said as I tucked her in. "It's almost morning and Ruth will be coming to get you for you to help make breakfast."

I didn't approve of Sookie doing work, but she seemed to enjoy cooking so I allowed it. I didn't think I could ever deny her anything. I watched and made sure she was asleep before I left her to rest for the day.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

I later found out that the tooth fairy was a lie parents told their children in order to trick and control them. Just like Santa and the Easter bunny. They tell their children, "If you don't behave Santa won't come this year." What stupid little child believes that a fat man dressed in a red snow suit has flying reindeer that pull a sled through the sky? They even believe the fat man can fit down a chimney and he gives children presents without wanting anything in return?

Had Daniel not asked us what Sookie was getting for Christmas she would have been very upset on Christmas morning. Daniel also wouldn't allow me to tell Sookie that it was all lies. He said every child believes in Santa when they're young.

At least at her birthday, I didn't have to give some made up man all the credit!

"Here, Sookie. Try the cake. I made it." It took a long time, and a little help from Ruth, but I made it and I was proud.

This was the first birthday Sookie allowed us to give her. She didn't even tell us when her birthday was the year after Eric found her. Her birthday ended up being less than a week from the time her parents and brother died. Last year, we'd missed Sookie's birthday because Daniel hadn't found out what day it was until the morning of Sookie's birthday. He later told us that Sookie kept thinking about how much she didn't deserve her birthday when the rest of her family would never have one again.

Daniel said we shouldn't force her to have a birthday but he did bring the issue up with Sookie's therapist. Whatever they said to her must have gotten through. Daniel came to me months ago and told me that Sookie was looking forward to her birthday this year, but she didn't want to ask for a party.

I really hated that Daniel could read Sookie's mind and know her better than I did.

But none of that mattered whenever I looked at Teacup and saw how happy she was.

Sookie didn't go to school or have any friends her age, but when we asked the staff if any of them would be interested in attending a birthday party for Sookie, everyone enthusiastically said yes. Even though we had a new vampire friendly staff, I knew all of them said yes because they cared for Sookie, not because they were scared of us. Sookie had the ability to make anyone fall in love with her.

She helped Ruth cook and clean the house. She helped the gardener tend the rose bushes, and she always stayed where she was supposed to, which made security's job easy.

When it came to the party, I did all of the planning.

I made a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, because really, I'm a vampire, of course it was going to be a red cake. Sookie tried my cake, even though she was nervous once I cut into it and she saw the red color. I assured her it was nothing more than food coloring. Sookie ended up liking the cake and all of the other guests confirmed that it was delicious. That was really no surprise because I was good at everything else.

Aside from the cake, I also put all of the party games together by myself. There was a game where you put on a blindfold, and then someone would spin you around once for each year you were alive. Once you were good and dizzy, then you had to try to stake a vampire in the heart. Ruth was nervous about this game and told me that we shouldn't play it but I assured her that it was safe. Nevertheless, she took Sookie into another room before we could even start, such a party pooper. Sookie taught me that word.

I would have won if I weren't blindfolded and had to spin. The vampire we were trying to catch had the advantage! Eventually Eric got him and he gloated about it for the rest of the party.

"I had to spin around more times that anybody and I still won!" Asshole.

Presents were the best. If she thought the thousand dollars she got from the, _tooth fairy_, was a lot, then she would have been even more surprised if she saw how much Eric, Daniel, and I had spent on her presents. That wasn't even including the amount of presents everyone else got her. I bought Sookie more clothes, even though she disliked my taste of fashion. Little humans, they knew nothing!

Eric got Sookie some very expensive jewelry and, even though Sookie was young, she understood the value and she was very careful with it.

Whatever everyone else got her wasn't important. It wasn't as good as what Eric and I got her. I did take lots of pictures to remember the occasion.

Watching how everyone doted on Sookie, it was clear they all loved her. I didn't know how Sookie's life was before Eric brought her here to live with us, but she couldn't have been as loved as she was now. I knew I'd only had Sookie for three of her ten years, but I loved her so much my heart ached at the thought of anything happening to her. With Eric, Daniel, and I around, we were certain that she would be safe. Daniel treated Sookie like a daughter so there was no doubt he'd do anything to protect her. Eric wasn't able to spend much time with Sookie because of his sheriff duties, and he feared having too much involvement in Sookie's life would attract his enemies to her, but he understood how important Sookie was. He'd have done anything to protect her.

Even when Eric and I were not around, we knew Sookie was safe. Because of the possibility of death, Eric tried not to employ people who had families that depend on them, so all of the people who worked here viewed Sookie as their family. Daniel had read from Ruth's, and the rest of the staff's minds, that they would give their lives to protect her. And with what was ahead of us, that might just be something that they ended up doing.

* * *

**A/N:** So there it was! Hopefully you all liked it.

Until next update! :K


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hey guyses! So... I'm back. I can't believe I haven't posted since November 21st! I didn't think it was that long!

So anyhow, Blue's Clues is on, that's how I have the time to post right now, lol.

Also, I'm off school for a week and a half and I'm going to try to use the college free time to my advantage and work on updating Cop-Out as well.

Love, love, love my beta morecks87. She is spectacularly wonderful!

I also want to thank Laura BF for making me a banner for this story! The link to the banner is on my profile.

Thank you guys who stick with my erratic updating.

I hope you guys like this chapter!

Charlaine Harris owns these characters, I just like to play with them ;)

Any remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

"Help me!"

At the sound of Sookie screaming I blurred through the house to find her. When I discovered she was in the bathroom I hesitated only a second before smashing the door in.

"What is it, Sookie?"

"Eric! Get the hell out of here!"

"Tell me what is wrong with you!" I roared.

After actually looking at Sookie's condition, I had to avert my eyes. She was sitting on the toilet and even though I was still concerned with her wellbeing, I did not want to stare at her when she had her pants down. But what if it was something serious?

"I'm bleeding, okay? I need Pam"

"Where is it coming from, Sookie?" My embarrassment forgotten, I moved toward Sookie.

"I want to talk to Pam."

"Sookie, just tell me! You could die!"

"I. WANT. TO. TALK. TO. PAM!" she said seething. She was definitely getting some of her personality traits from Pam and I.

I left her alone in the bathroom while I went to call Pam. In the six years since Sookie had been living with us, she and Pam had grown closer. It was not that I did not want to spend time with Sookie, I simply did not have the time to spare.

Being the sheriff of the largest area in Louisiana required a lot of time and work. Not to mention the problems that have arisen since there had been talk of exposing vampires to the public. A contact from Japan had informed the vampire community that the Japanese were trying to create synthetic blood in order to help with a blood shortage. If the blood they created really was like human blood, vampires would be able to survive off of it. With the new blood substitute, humans would no longer be afraid that we would use them for blood, thus removing their greatest fear of vampires.

"What is it, Eric? I was just about to get a bite to eat." I could practically hear Pam smiling through the phone.

"Get your ass over here! Sookie is bleeding!

"Did you try to help her?" Pam asked, suddenly panicked.

"Of course!" I quickly told Pam how Sookie had treated me when I tried to help her. "Get here! NOW!"

She hung up before I could even finish my sentence. Even though Pam lived with Sookie and I, she still kept her house for feeding and her other basic needs.

After I got off the phone with Pam I went back up stairs to see if Sookie would tell me what was wrong with her.

"Sookie, please tell me what is wrong," I pleaded, hoping she would confide in me.

"I would have shut and locked the door back if you hadn't turned it into wood chips! I said leave me alone! Would you just go away?"

I finally accepted defeat and started for the living room to wait for Pam.

"Wait!"

I turned back around, hopeful she would tell me what was wrong.

"I didn't say to look at me! Geez! I just wanted to know if you called Pam!"

"Yes, she will be here shortly," I said curtly.

I could tell when I was not wanted and Sookie was making me feel like a fool. She had been getting angry for no reason over the past few days. I thought it had do to with her spending so much time with Pam, and although I was sure that was part of it, Sookie was still more short tempered than usual.

I went to the living room to wait for Pam since Sookie would not allow me to help her. IT was not long before Pam came through the door.

**Pam POV**

"Where is she, Eric?" I asked as soon as I stepped into the house.

"She is upstairs in her bathroom."

Eric was sitting on the couch looking pissed. Probably more because Sookie wasn't obeying him and letting him help her, not because he was scared she was bleeding for no apparent reason.

I went up to Sookie's bathroom to see what the problem was. I already had an idea of what it could be.

I walked through Sookie's room to get to her bathroom and found her sitting on the toilet with her head in her hands. The door was completely destroyed.

"Pam! Thank God you're here! My butt was getting numb."

I ignored that. "What's wrong, Sookie?"

"I had to pee so I went to the bathroom and when I wiped, there was blood! What's wrong with me?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What is it Pam?" she asked with a bit of hysterics in her voice.

"Come on. I know you live with vampires but you have to know what that is."

"No, I don't. Why don't you just tell me?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"It's a period."

"A period?"

"Didn't your mother ever get periods?"

"You know I don't remember much about my life before Eric found me. And I definitely don't remember anything like this."

"Here, wad some of this up in your panties and follow me," I said as I handed her a roll of toilet paper.

She did as I said and hurried after me as I led her out of the bathroom, grabbing a towel along the way.

"Wait! Where are you two going?" Eric growled after us as we started leaving the house.

"Girl business. Don't worry about it," I called to him knowing how irritated it would make him. Girl business or not, Eric felt like he had a right to know everything and it was always nice to be able to put him in his place.

I opened the passenger's side door of my car for Sookie and laid the towel in the seat for her. I was NOT getting blood in my car.

Sookie glared at me but sat on the towel anyway.

"Where are we going, Pam?" Sookie asked as I slid into the driver's seat.

"Sookie," I said gently, "we are going to get you some pads."

"For what?"

"For your period, are you dense?" I snapped.

It had been many, many decades since I'd been a human and had a period. The only time I had to acknowledge periods as a vampire was when some woman I was fucking was on hers, which I tried to avoid when possible. Despite what you might have heard, menstrual blood was NOT the same thing as the blood in your veins. I had completely forgotten about them until Ruth mentioned to me that Sookie was "at that age."

Ever since Ruth told me, I had been reading up on it just in case Ruth wasn't around to help her. It seemed as though that was a wise idea.

"Let me explain. When a girl gets to be your age…"

"I'm 13, Pam. I'm practically a woman."

"If you interrupt me again, I won't tell you and just let you bleed to death!"

"You would not! Eric wouldn't let you!" she yelled, even though I could see the doubt in her eyes. You could grow up with vamps but you could never fully understand them unless you were one. Sookie was wise to learn that early.

"He would, too!" I mocked. "After the way you treated him, he won't care what I do to you."

She looked upset by what I said to her.

"I'm sorry, Pam. I didn't mean to yell at him like that. But I was on the toilet with my pants down and I didn't know what was wrong with me and I was scared and he wouldn't listen to me," she rushed out.

"Eric is the one you should apologize to, not me." When she was silent, I started to tell her about her period.

"As I was saying, when a girl gets to be your age, she can get pregnant. You know what that is don't you?" I asked just in case.

When she nodded, I continued.

"Well, each month your body gets ready to have a baby. In order for that to happen, the sack in your stomach called your uterus fills up with blood to make a cushion for the baby. When your uterus doesn't feel a baby inside, it _squeezes_ and _squeezes_ until all the blood comes out." I demonstrated by clenching my hand into a fist on each _squeeze_. "You should feel pain, those are called cramps. When you feel those, that's your uterus contracting, trying to _squeeze,_" again with the hand gestures, "all the blood out. This happens each month."

"So, if I have a baby, it will stop?" she asked cringing.

"No, if you have a baby it will rip your vagina apart trying to get out. That hurts a lot worse than cramps. Do you want that?!"

"Ep!" she squeaked. "NO!"

"Well, then there you have it."

"Do you have periods, Pam?"

"Of course not. I'm a vampire, we can't have children, and if any vamp says they can, they aren't a real vampire. Now, make sure you're not leaking. We're about to get out of the car."

I walked into Walgreens with Sookie trailing behind me. I'd had no use for pads before so I had no clue where to find them. In order to save time, and Sookie mortification by bleeding through her pants, I decided to ask for help.

I walked right up to the register and said to the 20 something year old boy, "Excuse me, she just started her period. Can you tell us where the pads are? She only has toilet paper shoved down there right now and I'm sure we'd all prefer that she didn't bleed everywhere."

He looked shocked for a minute before he actual answered. I didn't see what the big deal was. To my understanding, every woman had a period. Well, every human woman.

"They are, uh, in that aisle," he said, pointing in the general direction of a lot of aisles and glancing at Sookie.

"Hey big boy. Don't look at her. Eyes on me." I didn't know if it was the same with humans, but I've heard that when a female dog is in heat, male dogs can sense it and want to mate with her. Well, this boy, or any other boy, was not going to be mating with my Sookie. I'd drain him first.

"Oh, just come on Pam, they're this way," Sookie groaned pulling me in the direction the boy pointed.

"Did you have to tell him all that, Pam? Geez, you are so embarrassing!"

"I was trying to help, Sookie. Wouldn't it have been even more embarrassing if you'd bled everywhere?"

"I doubt it," she mumbled before we finally found the pads.

There was such a wide variety, any first time pad user would be intimidated. Luckily for Sookie, I was here and I did my research.

"These are the best kind, Sookie," I said, pointing to the ones named _Always_. I assumed they got their name because women will always need them because they would always have periods.

"How do you know those are the best kind, Pam? You don't have periods."

"Obviously you can tell by the packaging. They have wings!"

We grabbed some orange thicker ones for night and some green thin ones for the day. I had learned about tampons during my research and there was no way I was going to let her stick anything up there.

Sookie avoided looking at the cashier as he rang up her pads. I threw a few chocolate bars on the counter as well just in case Sookie felt like snacking. After I paid the cashier, we got in the car and hurried home to let Sookie practice with her new pads.

As soon as we stepped into the house it was obvious that Eric had been pacing, waiting for us to return.

"Where have you been?"

"Go on upstairs, Sookie. I'll talk to Eric."

"I got my period, Eric. We had to go to the store with toilet paper in my panties to get pads so I wouldn't embarrass myself by leaking everywhere. Isn't that what you were going to tell him, Pam?" Sookie asked as she stomped up the steps.

Eric slowly looked toward me.

"Don't ask." I cut him off before he could say anything. "So, anything new happen while I was away?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. It is bad, Pam."

"How bad?"

"There is a debate over whether or not we should even expose ourselves to humans. It is getting bloody."

"Are we in danger?" Silence. "Answer me, Eric!"

"Yes. Everyone is in danger. No matter what side you are on, someone from the opposing side is trying to take you down."

"It's a lose, lose situation."

"Exactly. I have not made my opinion public, yet. Therefore we are not being targeted, except by recruiters trying to get me on their side. I would be a major ally or a grave enemy. There is only so long I can stall. Once I go public, anyone associated with me, myself included, will be a target."

"What do you want me to do, Eric?"

"Take Sookie and run."

* * *

**A/N: **So, what did you guys think...

Obviously because of the subject matter, the next chapter probably won't fast-forward but it will deal with Sookie and Pam possibly having to run away.

Hope you guys liked it. I'm outtie to go work on some Cop-Out!


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Instead of making excuses for why I've been gone for 6 months, let's just jump right into it, shall we?

A few comments to make on some of the reviews I've gotten:

1. I know a lot, and I mean A LOT, of you are worried about Sookie and Pam leaving Eric, but I think it's important for Sookie to grow up away from Eric so she's able to become who she will without his influence and without him constantly being in her life.

2. I've also been asked, what is the point of Sookie and Pam leaving if it's not the reveal yet? My thinking is that, right now the vampires are trying to decide whether or not they should come out. It's a major decision so they're going to take some time debating about it. Eric is powerful, both physically and politically; therefore when he decides to support a side, it's a big deal. Some vampires don't want to come out, and Weres, shifters, etc. are worried about the vampires coming out because if one mythological creature proves to actually exist, humans are going to wonder what else there is that they don't know about, and it may force the other supes to have to come out in the future. Therefore anyone who doesn't agree with vampires revealing themselves to the human will try to stop the reveal before it can even happen.

3. I will give a Sookie POV after she is grown. It will be like a buffer between the flashbacks and the chapters leading up to the present. It will be looking back on things we've seen from other POVs and things that only Sookie will be able to talk about.

4. FF was acting up so I had to go to everyone's profile to reply to reviews. If you didn't get a reply, you either don't allow PMs or you didn't sign in when you reviewed.

I jump around POVs a little in this chapter but I hope you all don't mind since I thought it was important to share the different POVs.

I would like to thank my beta MsWobbles, I think her name is now... previously Morecks87

CH owns the characters, I just like to play with them ;) and any remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

"What do you mean take Sookie and run? I'm not leaving you, Eric."

"It is either me or Sookie, Pam. Who would you choose?"

"I love her. You know I do. But she's a human. She'll eventually get old and die. You are a vampire. You are my maker. I could spend eternity with you. I don't know how to exist without you. No one else will put up with my shit the way you do," Pam said with a tight smile.

"That is because I made you. I have to put up with you."

"I'm serious, Eric."

I let out a breath of air even though it is not necessary for me to breathe.

"I am serious, too. She is not just a little girl you grew to love, she is a telepath. If something happened to me, you could use her to help you gain power."

I tried to tempt her with something I thought she would like. I knew she would never use Sookie for her own gain, but if something were to happen to me, Pam would want revenge. Sookie could help her with that.

"I can use Daniel if I need a telepath! Dammit Eric! I don't need that!" she yelled. "I need my maker," she said so softly I would not have been able to hear her if I were not a vampire.

"I am sorry, Pamela. It has already been decided. You will leave tomorrow after sunset."

"Don't you 'Pamela' me, you bastard. And you can tell Sookie yourself," Pam snapped before she stepped around me to leave the house.

She wiped her hand across her face before she walked out of the door. When she dropped her hand, there was blood on it.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Eric, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you. I was just scared and I wasn't wearing pants. Please don't make me leave."

"I am not mad at you, Sookie. I just need you to go with Pam and Daniel for little while. It will be okay."

"I don't want to go with Daniel and Pam. I want to stay with you," she said with unshed tears in her eyes.

It killed me to see her this way, but it would hurt her even more if one of my enemies got to her. They would not hesitate to hurt her, or worse.

"You cannot stay here. You need to understand and accept that."

"I'm not going," she huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"I am not joking. You will be leaving with Pam and Daniel tomorrow night. One way or another."

"You can't make me go."

"I am a vampire, I can do anything I want."

"I'll run away."

"If you think you can make it past Pam, then by all means."

Sookie sat on her bed and glared at me while I tried to pack her suitcase. I would normally have had Ruth do the packing but I sent her home on paid leave until further notice as soon as I found out about the threat. I did not feel it was safe to let Ruth continue working at the house with a possible threat loomed. I was also worried because Ruth was so old. I did not feel comfortable sending her on the run with Sookie… If I had sent her with Pam, Daniel, and Sookie, Ruth would most certainly slow them down if they ever needed to get away in a hurry.

"Why are you really sending me away?" Sookie stared at me like she was evaluating me.

"It is not for you to worry about."

"Please," she pleaded, "if you're making me leave at least tell me why."

I hesitated only a second before I decided to tell her. Maybe if she knew her life was in danger she would want to leave and I would not have to force her.

"I have enemies. Enemies that would want to hurt me, and anyone I care about. If they ever found out that a human girl lived with me, they would want you. Even though they do not know that you are a telepath, they would know you are something special. A vampire does not raise a human girl for no reason. I cannot risk someone taking you or killing you. That is why you have to leave, so no one will take you or kill you trying to get to me."

She did not even hesitate with her response. "I'm not scared. You won't let anyone kill me."

"Do not have so much faith in me. They may bring an army. How could I protect you then?"

She was silent for so long I thought she would stop arguing, but at last, she finally spoke. "I don't know how you'll do it but I trust you. Just please don't send me away," she pleaded.

"I am sorry, Sookie. I will not risk your life or Pam's. You will be leaving tomorrow and that is not up for debate."

"What did Pam say about this plan of yours?"

"She understood that it had to be done and did not argue," I lied.

"Then why did I hear her yelling earlier?"

"She was mad because Daniel is going." Actually, I had forgotten to even tell Pam that Daniel was going. Either way she would have to accept it.

"How long will we be gone?"

"Until the threat is over."

"How long will that be?"

"I do not know!" I roared as I threw what was left of her clothes into a suitcase. I had to get away from her and her questions.

After everything was in her suitcase I quickly left her room. I took her suitcases to my room so she could not try to unpack it while I slept.

I then went around the house and locked all of the windows and doors so they would not open from either side. No one was getting in or out of the house unless I let them. I did not want Sookie trying to run away during the day when it would be impossible for me to stop her. I still had Weres on duty but I did not want them to have to hunt and catch Sookie. The hunt excited them and I could not be sure what they would have done to her once they found her.

After I made sure the house was secure, I went to my office to make sure everything was set for their departure the next night.

It was rare for a vampire to feel tired unless the sun was rising, and although it was only midnight, I felt more tired than I ever had.

I understood that they did not want to leave. What they did not understand was, this was not easy for me either. In order to protect the ones I cared about, I had to send them all away. I would be utterly alone when they all left.

Ruth, who had worked for me for over 25 years, longer than any human ever had, and who I trusted with the knowledge of my true nature.

Pam, my child who had been with me nearly every decade since I sired her almost two centuries ago.

And now recently, Sookie. Even though I did not spend much time with her because of my duties as Sheriff of Area 5 and owner of Fangtasia, I would still miss her. She was not as attached to me as she once was on that first night, six years ago, because I was not able to spend the time with her that Pam, Daniel and Ruth could. Even so, I had never stopped caring about her. I still felt as drawn to her as I did that first night and that had not changed. I had been giving her my blood periodically so I would be able to find her if anything ever happened to her. It only made me care for her even more because I was able to feel her emotions and connect with her on a level not even Daniel could rival.

If it were not for Sookie, I would not have been sending Pam away. Pam had fought beside me many times in battle and she was my most trusted ally. But with Sookie's presence, I could not entrust her safety to anyone other than Pam.

With a sigh, I started making calls trying to find people to support me in case I was attacked after I sent Pam away. Without her, I had no one I trusted at my back and I had to start making alliances anyway I could. I already had enemies just because of my place in the vampire hierarchy. I could only imagine how many more would arise once I made my stance on revealing vampires public.

**Pam POV**

I couldn't believe it when Eric told me he was sending Sookie and me away!

This wasn't the first threat on our lives and yet I had managed to survive through those. And believe me, there were many of them. Not only had I survive, but I thrived, I kicked ass and killed anything that got in my way. Even though I was pissed at Eric for trying to force me to leave, I started packing. I didn't plan on leaving just because Eric ordered me to, but if he made me obey as his child I wouldn't be able to say no. I wanted to be ready when the time came for Eric to exert his power over me, because I knew it would.

I wished I had been thinking more about Sookie's feelings when Eric told me we were being forced to leave. I was so worried about how I felt that I didn't even think about how Sookie was going to take the news. Because her entire family was killed when the bridge they were driving over collapsed into the river, Sookie had become very attached to me, Eric, Ruth, and yes, even Daniel. She would be devastated when Eric told her he was making her leave. And I wasn't even there to comfort her. It would hurt my pride to call and check on her, or even worse, to go over there. But I had come to care about Sookie too much to let my pride get in the way. Even if I would never admit it out loud, it felt like Sookie was my child. I wouldn't have been able to sire a better child if I tried. Unfortunately for everyone else, but fortunately for me, Sookie was turning out to share my characteristics. I finally decided that I would at least call to check on Sookie before I went to rest for the day. I would call as soon as I finished packing.

I packed my suitcases with a little bit of everything since I had no clue where we were being sent. If we ended up somewhere that I didn't have the appropriate attire for, I would just have to buy new clothes. Since this was all his doing, I would be paying for my impromptu shopping spree with Eric's money. Oh, the things I had to do to accommodate Eric.

After I finished packing, I went to my office and dialed Eric's number. Even though I stayed at his house most days because of Sookie, I never considered it my home. In fact, I kept very few belongings there. I needed my own space.

As soon as the call went through, I got a busy signal. Eric must have been on the phone. At least I hoped that's why the phone was busy and not because they were in trouble.

I quickly ruled that out since I did not feel anything through my bond with Eric. I tried to reason with myself that I didn't need to go back to his house to check on things but that didn't stop me from heading out to my car. I did have some things at Fangtasia that I needed to take care of before I stopped by Eric's house. Hopefully after I finished my business at Fangtasia, some of the tension would have weaned between Eric and I. With my plan of action in mind, I got in my car and headed for Fangtasia.

**Daniel POV**

The phone ringing woke me up from my already fretful sleep. I debated about answering it because any call that comes at three in the morning cannot be good. I checked the bond I had with Pam and found that she was a mass of confusing emotions.

Ever since I decided to work for Eric to help with Sookie, Pam has been feeding me her blood in order to create a bond so she could keep track of me. We never planned on Pam taking my blood in return. We didn't want to create a full bond between us and I'd never given blood to a vamp before. I tended to dislike vampires, you know, with the whole massacring my family. However, in the six years I had been working with Sookie, Pam, she had gotten into more than a few bloody fights. Afterward she needed blood and there was no one else readily available to give it. I didn't volunteer myself to be used as a blood bag, but I didn't exactly say no either. Yeah, I've developed a soft spot for the head bitch vamp.

After sensing Pam's mood through the bond, I knew that whatever was on the other end of the phone, it definitely had something to do with Eric and Pam.

"Yeah?"

"Daniel."

"Eric," I mimicked in the same bored tone.

"I have discovered the threat of an attack on myself and my people. You and Pam will be taking Sookie and leaving until I can be sure the threat has passed."

"Did you already tell Sookie and Pam about this?"

"Yes."

Of course he had. And he just decided to call and tell me as an after thought, at three in the morning.

"How did they take it?"

"Of what concern is it? It is a necessary precaution and it will be done no matter the discrepancies anyone has."

"I'm not questioning your decision, Eric. I'm just worried about Sookie. She's developed an unnaturally strong bond with her surroundings. Her entire life was ripped away from her once and it's happening again. It's going to be hard on her."

He was silent for a minute before he finally replied. "That is something you are going to have to worry about. I do not think like a human. I will worry about her survival and you can worry about her human emotions."

"Eric..."

"You will not be needed until it is time for you to leave after I rise. Good night."

He hung up before I could even ask him any details about our trip. The only thing I knew was that we were leaving tomorrow, er, tonight.

And apparently I was not supposed to go to his house in a few hours. There was no way I could not go. Sookie was probably really upset and needed someone who would be able to understand her "human emotions."

I supposed the feeling I got from Pam through our bond was her reaction to the news. I wondered if she was with Eric and Sookie...

Resigned that I wasn't going to be able to sleep, I got up and started packing the things I would need for our trip. I planned to go to Eric's house like usual. He would already be dead to the world by the time I got there, so there would be nothing he could say about it.

I'd put up with enough vamp shit in my short life. By the time I was 25, I was a successful professor at a university and I was married with a wife and a daughter. I had met my wife while we were in high school. We had never planned on starting a family and getting married but when she turned up unexpectedly turned up pregnant right out of high school, we decided to try to make a marriage work. Rachel stayed home with our daughter, Jessica, to raise her while I went to college and worked two jobs. I completed my undergraduate and graduate degree in five years. At 23 I was enrolled in a doctorate program and teaching classes at the university. Once I completed my doctorate, I was hired at the university full-time.

Growing up with my telepathy was extremely difficult because I had to handle it on my own. Like Sookie, my parents were not very accepting of my supernatural abilities. I learned early to keep my mouth shut when it came to being able to hear what people were thinking.

I used my telepathy growing up because I realized I was able to capitalize from it. While my parents were busy pretending like they didn't have a kid to raise, I would ride my bike through the city and practice reading minds. Because I became so good at controlling my telepathy, it made me stronger instead of hindering me like it could have.

I used my telepathy when I taught in my classes to find cheating students and I was eventually able to pinpoint exactly whose thoughts I was hearing out of a class of 300 students.

Being a telepath made me feel invincible. I was always able to know what everyone around me was thinking. No one could hide anything from me. And that was where I got into trouble.

One night I was at a bar drinking because I had just discovered that Rachel was cheating on me. It wasn't the first time I found my wife cheating on me but I had always stayed with her because of Jessica. This time was different than all the others because Rachel had fallen in love with the other man and wanted to leave me and take Jessica with her. Even though I wasn't in love with Rachel, I cared about her. She was the mother of my child. It hurt to know she cared so little about our family that I had worked so hard to support and keep together.

While I was sitting at the bar drinking my weight in alcohol, I saw the group, of what I now know were vampires, walk into the bar and glamour a group of humans. When they led the humans out of the bar I followed because I knew something bad was going to happen, but I was too drunk to worry about self-preservation.

When I confronted the group out in the ally, they tried to glamor me, but because I didn't know about vampires yet, I didn't know to play along. They had told me to stand still and expose my neck. They were going to kill me until they realized that their glamor didn't work on me.

Their demeanor changed after they realized I was something more than a human. I was taken and tortured for days. I knew revealing myself as a telepath was dangerous. No matter whom I confided in, they would be able to use that information against me. I was tortured for over a week before I finally broke. Once they found out I was a telepath, I hadn't had peace since.

Discovering vampires existed wasn't as shocking to me as it would have been to a normal human, since they didn't realize telepaths existed either. I willingly worked for the vamps until I realized the information I gave them led to people getting killed. When I refused to help them any longer they tortured me. I was stronger this time because I knew what to expect but they almost killed me when I still refused to help them. Because they had tortured me before, I quickly became accustomed to keeping my mouth shut under extreme pain. That was when they brought my family in. I had seen what they did to other people so I had no doubt what they had planned for my wife and daughter. It didn't take any more torture. I was ready to work for them for the rest of my life as long as they left my family alone. But it was too late fore that. They wanted to punish me for even daring to defy them in the first place. I was chained to a wall and forced to watch as my wife was killed first. The group of vampires surrounded her like a pack of dogs while one vampire held my daughter captive. All at once they descended on her, pulling her apart with their fangs while she screamed. Knowing I was the cause of this pain, her pleas for mercy were mixed with her regret of ever meeting me.

They killed my wife first because they wanted my daughter to see it. They wanted to maximize my daughter's fear. Watching her cry for her mother and begging me to protect them nearly killed me. I tried to rip my chains from the wall but all I accomplished was rubbing my wrist raw until they bled. After my wife lay still on the floor, they then turned to Jessica.

The vampire that held her fed from my eight year old daughter until her neck was ripped apart and she was lying in a pool of blood next to her mother. I would always remember the way she screamed for me to help her. The way she stared at me with wide eyes until they glazed over as her life was drained from her.

Have you ever lived through something so horrible, you just knew that it was going to be the worse moment of your entire life? That no matter what happened after that day, nothing could compare to the pain you were feeling at that moment. I knew at that moment that there was nothing anyone could ever do to me to break me. I had lived through the worst thing possible and I had survived. I completely shut off my emotions and made decisions based on strategy, rather than emotions.

I would have continued to work for the vampires if they hadn't killed my family. I would have done anything they asked of me, but it was too late for that.

They released me thinking I would be docile after watching them kill my family. Like that was going to happen. Instead I hired some Weres with part of the money I was paid over the years. I used them to hunt down every single vampire evolved in the murder of my wife and daughter and capture them. Then I chained all of them up with silver and tortured them for months, until there was so little left of their bodies that they disintegrated. I used every torture technique they had used on me and the other people they had tortured. Because of the way they had treated me, I had turned into a monster just like them. I knew just what to do to cause the most pain without killing your enemy.

After I exacted my revenge, I couldn't go back to a normal human life and just forget that vampires, demons, witches, werewolves, shifters, and fairies existed. With nothing left to lose, I continued to work for the supes. At least that way I could keep an eye on them.

After I killed the vampires I had worked for, very few vamps wanted to work with me. The ones that did take the chance and hire me showed me more respect. I had worked for Eric many times before he brought me in to work with Sookie. He had a few problems at Fangtasia and needed a telepath to read the minds of his patrons and human staff. It was generally easy work and Eric paid every well.

I generally liked working with Eric. He was straightforward and he had a lot more sense than the other vamps I had worked with. Besides, even if Pam and I fought like cats and dogs, I kind of liked the hateful bitch. My wife was the only person I had been with in my entire life, and Pam was the exact opposite of her. Rachel was soft spoken but she would flip on you faster than a snake. Pam said what she thought but she was loyal to the death. I could admire her.

By the time I was through reminiscing, I was finished packing my bags. It was still a bit too early to head to Eric's. If I had left right then, it would've still been dark by the time I got there and then Eric would've confronted me about not following orders.

Instead, I did something I hadn't done in forever, I sat down with a book and relaxed. And for some reason, it felt like the calm before the storm.

**Eric POV**

I was finally done making all of my calls and was pleased to discover that I had a small army behind me when I finally announced that I supported vampires revealing themselves to humans.

I had not heard from Pam since she left my house earlier in the evening but I was not worried. Pam was not one to make rash, stupid decisions. I checked on Sookie to make sure she was asleep before I went to rest for the day. Since I revealed myself to Ruth, I had shutters installed over the windows that would completely block out the sun whenever I was upstairs during the day. I never used them much because Sookie loved the sunshine.

Now that there were no humans around, I closed all of the shutters in preparation for the soon rising sun, and walked freely through my home until I felt the pull to rest.

It felt eerie for my home to be so quiet. Ever since Sookie arrived the house had been full of happiness and laughter. This was a taste of what I would be left with after they all had gone. I found that I did not enjoy the solitude as I once had.

I heard a knock on the door and, glad for the reprieve from my thoughts, went to answer it. I could sense it was Pam and went to open the door quickly before the sun rose.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I opened the door.

"I meant to come sooner but I was tied up at Fangtasia. I came to check on Sookie. Will you let me in before the sun comes up?"

I opened the door further and moved out of the way so she could step through. I closed the door behind her and locked it.

"So, how is she?"

"She is fine. She is asleep now."

"I don't think it's necessary to move, Eric."

"I know you do not but I cannot risk anything happening to Sookie. You do not understand how serious this is. Vampires would kill to announce their presence to the humans while some vampires, and other supernatural beings, would kill to keep themselves a secret."

"Which side did you choose?"

"I decided that we should reveal ourselves. If it ends badly, we can still hide as we have always done. But if it all works out, we can finally be free."

"Eric? Pam?" Sookie asked frantically as she stood at the top of the steps with her eyes wide.

"What is it, Teacup?"

"RUN!" she screamed right before the bomb went off.

Pam and I were both blasted by the bomb shrapnel and instantly started burning as the rising sun hit us through the hole blown into the side of my house. The last things I heard before I passed out were Sookie screaming at the top of her lungs and Pam hollering for Daniel.

**Daniel POV**

As I pulled up to Eric's house I saw a bomb blow a side of his house apart. Based on the pattern of their brain waves, I could sense that Weres were the ones that did it. I grabbed the guns I kept in a secret compartment in my car in case of emergencies such as this. I kept the .22 caliber in my hand and shoved the tranquilizing gun into the back of my pants as I ran toward the house to help any way that I could.

Pam must have seen me because I heard her scream my name. When I looked over at her, half of her face was burnt like a marshmallow. Eric was passed out next to Pam and she was starting to pass out too, whether from the sun being up or her injuries, I didn't know.

I saw a Were head toward them and I shot him in the head, killing him instantly. I saw another set of Weres running out of the house with Sookie screaming in their arms. Except she wasn't screaming like a normal little girl, she was yelling at them, kicking them, punching them, and biting them.

"You better get the hell off of me, you mangy dog! Eric is going to kill you!" She must not have seen the shape Eric was in because it didn't look like was in any shape to save anyone anytime soon.

I took the gun out of the back of my pants and tranqed the Were that was carrying Sookie. He dropped her as he collapsed to the ground but his friend didn't waste any time. He scooped Sookie up and kept running. He disappeared into the woods before I could get a good shot on him. Then I was left alone with a dead Were, an unconscious Were, and two burning vampires.

There was no way I would be able to keep up with the Were that took Sookie. I hated to admit it but I would have to find a way to get her later. Instead, I ran toward Eric and Pam to keep them from burning to death, well, their final death. I found the throw blanket that used to be on the couch and covered Eric with it as best I could before I ran to Pam. I wouldn't be able to drag Eric as easily as I could Pam so I decided to help her first. Pam looked like she received the worst damage from the sun and the bomb.

I scooped Pam into my arms and ran her upstairs to the bedrooms since the shutters were still on the windows and the bedrooms in the back of the house were unharmed. I laid her on the bed before I ran back down to help Eric. He was a lot heavier than Pam and it was hard to get him up the stairs but I finally managed. I had to leave him in the hallway so I could catch my breath before I dragged him into the bed beside Pam.

Next, I ran outside to secure the unconscious Were so I could question him when he woke up. Thank goodness I had experience in abducting supes because my car was especially reinforced to keep them trapped inside. I dragged him to the trunk of my car and locked him in there until I could get to Pam's house. Pam was the only one I knew that had a dungeon in her basement. I knew this because I had been locked up in it more than once.

Although I needed to get the Were to Pam's house, I couldn't leave Pam and Eric unguarded. The only person I could think to call was little old Ruth.

I went into Eric's office and thanked God that the phones still worked.

"Daniel? What's wrong?" Ruth asked as soon as she answered her phone.

"There's been an accident at Eric's house and I need you to come over right away. Eric and Pam are exposed for the day and I need to leave."

"Where's Sookie?" she asked with her voice firm. I admired her ability to stay calm under pressure.

"She was taken. I have one of the kidnappers and I need to question him but I can't do it at Eric's house. I just need you to come over long enough for me to get him somewhere secure. If they come back, Eric and Pam will be at their mercy."

"I'm on my way." She hung up before I could get another word out.

I wasn't worried about the fire department coming out to Eric's house because it was pretty secluded and the bomb didn't cause a fire so there were no flames or smoke shooting up in the sky for anyone to see.

I went to check on Pam, and Eric too, while I waited for Ruth. I wasn't sure what to do to help them get better when they were like this. Either I lost track of time or Ruth didn't live very far away because in no time she was marching up the steps… with a gun in her hand.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed that. We will be seeing a little more action in the next chapter but I will still try to keep my style of ridiculous humor mixed in.

I have already started on Chapter 11 (Chapter 10) so hopefully it won't take 6 months to update again. I have also started working in Cop-Out so I'd like to have that posted before I go back to school next week -_-


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I'm really sick so I wanted to post this while I still feel like moving.

I want to thank beatlechickstep for beta-ing this for me.

Any remaining mistakes are my own and CH owns the characters.

Finally, a chapter from Sookie's point of view.

Enjoy!

* * *

I hated being the only human in a world full of supes. Yeah, I'm a telepath, but what good is that when you're being dragged away by a Were ten times your size? I tried to fight him to get away but it was no use. The more I fought the more he whacked me on tree branches and dug his shoulder into my stomach. The best thing I could do was watch where he took me so I would have some sense of direction when I escaped. And I would escape. I saw the way Eric and Pam looked after the bomb exploded and I hoped they would be able to survive it, but I knew they would. I had already lost my family once, I wasn't going to lose them again.

I saw Daniel arrive just before the Were carrying me ran into the woods. I knew that he would take care of Eric and Pam. As much as he liked to say he hated them, and as much as he fought with them, I knew the truth. Daniel didn't have anyone else. This little family was all any of us had, and we would all kill to protect it.

A 13 year-old-girl should be worried about boys or school. Yet here I was on the back of some Were thinking about how to kill it. Definitely not normal. I decided to try and talk to the Were to see if I could get him to think about anything that would help me find out where I was being taken or what he planned on doing to me once we got there. That way I could try to think of a plan before I got in too deep.

"Hey, where are you taking me?"

No response.

"Hey, asshole! Tell me where we're going before I gouge your eyes out!" Being around Pam has had an influence on me...

"You better watch your mouth little girl, before I rip it off."

Okay... so that was getting me nowhere.

A Were is harder to read than a human, and although Eric had Weres that worked for him, he never let me practice on them because he never wanted them to know I was a telepath. Daniel had let me do a little training, but it wasn't enough for me to be able to focus on the Were understand what he was thinking.

With nothing else to do, I settled down for the ride on the shoulders of a Were and hoped that it wouldn't be too long until I could return to Eric and Pam. Even though I hoped they would be okay, I wouldn't be able to relax until I knew for sure. It was at that moment I knew why Eric thought it was so important for me to leave. Unfortunately, we weren't fast enough.

The day was going horribly. I just started my period, was told I would have to leave the only house where I could be myself, and was now being kidnapped. At least, it couldn't get any worse, right?

**Daniel POV**

After Ruth got to Eric's, gun in hand, I took the Were to Pam's house to wait for him to wake up so I could interrogate him. It was hard to understand what a Were is thinking, but I had been working at it for years, so I could understand better than other telepaths I had met.

I had originally planned on tying him up and going back to help Ruth with Pam and Eric, but she assured me that she would be able to handle them. I had heard the story about Ruth's daughter and son-in-law so I was sure that Ruth would know how to take care of them better than me. I had experience in trying to kill a vampire, not help them live.

I got the Were locked up in the basement and got my utensils ready for torture, not to mention the ones Pam kept on hand. It would seem strange for a vampire to use her personal home as a place for torture but it made sense when you realized that Pam never let anyone live to tell where had been held.

The longer it took to get information out of him, the longer those Weres had the chance to do whatever they had planned for Sookie. I had to work quick, so I pulled out the syringe I had tucked into my pocket after I carried, or more like dragged, the Were down to Pam's basement. I jabbed the needle into his neck and pushed the plunger down. Less than 60 seconds later the Were jumped awake. Good. Time to get to work.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Two hours later, which was longer than I would have expected, the now dead Were was cleanly disposed of and I had learned next to nothing. I was in Pam's shower washing all the blood off of me before I went back to Eric's house to check on Pam and Eric. It would have been so much easier to find Sookie if Eric was awake and the sun was set. Because he had been secretly giving Sookie his blood for so many years, he was connected to her and would be able to track her, which is exactly why he began giving her his blood in the first place. I went to my room in Pam's house and began pulling on my clothes. I hadn't talked to Ruth since I left the house and needed to get back to find out what had happened.

When I pulled up to the house, it looked like this morning had never happened. Confused, I walked into the house in search of Ruth.

I could hear her brain waves upstairs and followed them until I found her.

"What happened to the house?" I asked when I found her sitting with her eyes closed in the chair in Sookie's room.

"It's not fixed but I had to mask the damage. After the sound of the explostion I couldn't risk a human wondering by and noticing that part of the house was blown off. The cover is only a mirage though. The house will still have to be fixed," she said, as if she were in a trance.

"Ruth? What are you doing?"

"Shh, I'm trying to find Sookie but I cannot see her."

I had been a part of the supe world long enough to know that what Ruth was doing was not normal by human standards.

"How long have you been a witch?" Her eyes snapped open and she stared at me. Her eyes looked milky white.

"You've been a part of this family for six years and you're just now figuring this out? I'm surprised."

"I haven't encountered many witches in my time. I mostly worked with Weres and vamps. Does Eric know?

"Don't be silly. Of course he doesn't know. You think he would have trusted me all these years if he had known what I am? He rarely trusts anything supernatural. He only hires Weres because they're necessary. He would never hire a witch as a housekeeper."

"How did you keep it from him all these years?"

"I'm a witch, honey. I can do anything I want."

"Why don't you fix all of this then? Bring Sookie back, fix the house and heal Eric and Pam."

"Everything happens for a reason, Daniel. I can't fix this. It has to happen this way."

"Why?"

"You will see in time," she said with an eerie smile on her face. I tried to listen to her brain to see what she saw, but I couldn't get in. She had blocked me. "Eric and Pam should be well enough to search for Sookie when they rise. I gave them plenty of blood and tried to heal them as best I could. I just couldn't stand to see them hurt. And please, do not tell Eric about this. He won't trust me if he knew I've lied to him from the beginning."

"Why did you even start working for Eric in the first place? Did you know he was a vampire all along?"

"When Eric told me he was a vampire I wasn't surprised. When he asked me about it, I told him I only knew about vampires because of my daughter, and I told him I didn't know he was a vampire for sure until he told me. I lied. I've known about Eric for far longer than I've been working for him."

"How?"

"Can't you tell?"

I shook my head. "I can't see into your mind."

Ruth smiled. "One of the advantages of being a high ranking witch. You can block the telepaths."

"How long have you known about Eric, Ruth?"

"It was about 60 years ago when I first saw Eric Northman. When I was a little girl my mother and I would go to a movie every Friday night when my father worked late. One night we were walking home from the theatre when a man grabbed my mother and dragged her into an ally. She screamed the whole way and told me to run, but I couldn't. I just stood there and watched the man continue to drag my mother deeper into the ally. He was going to rape her. He was tearing at her clothes and growling like an animal. All of a sudden, this being fell from the sky and grabbed the man, tearing him off of my mother. The two men fought and argued before the one that fell from the sky ripped the throat out of the other one with it's teeth.

"After the fight was over, I realized my mother was continuously screaming. She was in shock and was going mad right before my eyes. The man that survived was very tall and had pale skin and blond hair. I would never forget the look on his face as grabbed my mother. He had blood dripping down his face and I was afraid he would try to kill my mother too. I was so scared I didn't even think about coming out of hiding to save her. There was nothing I could do anyway. I didn't know I was a witch because my mother was adopted and had never known her real family. She didn't know she possessed the powers to save herself.

"The blond man didn't harm my mother. He looked her in the eyes and told her to continue her night as if she had never been grabbed. He told her to go straight home and if anyone asked about the blood on her clothes, she was to tell them she found a dog that had been struck by a car.

"People were coming so the man grabbed the body of the one he killed and turned to leave. We made eye contact before the man seemed to disappear right before my eyes. My mother wandered home while I trailed behind her. She didn't even notice I was there. The next day, my mother appeared to have forgotten that night completely, but I could never forget, nor could I forget the man that saved my mother's life, and her sanity.

"When I got older I learned of my witch heritage and became apart of the supernatural world. I learned about the other beings that occupy this world. As soon as I learned that witches were not the only supernatural beings, my thoughts traveled back to that night when my mother was attacked. I then realized that my mother and I had encountered a Were and were saved by a vampire. Knowing he was a vampire and would be immortal, I had hoped to meet the man again but I never did.

"Decades later, after I had my own daughter, she was a junior in college when she came home from a date one night. Her boyfriend, who I later learned was a vampire, had taken her to his work place before they went on their date. It was there that she met the vampire that ran the place. The way she had described him, I knew I had to see him on the small chance he was that man who had helped my mother all those decades ago. One night I waited outside the club and saw him and I just knew, it was _him_.

"I owed that man my life, and the life of my mother. Through my witchcraft and the supe world, I learned as much as I could about him and vowed that I would repay the debt I felt I owed him. When I finally started to work for him, I started to care for him and decided to stay with him and help him any way I could. Now he needs me more than ever."

"What are you going to do? How are you going to help him?"

"I cannot tell you anything that would influence the future, but I will tell you this. Eric and Pam will get Sookie back and we will all survive this. But make no mistake, those who conspire against us will not give up. In order to stay alive we must split up."

"For how long, Ruth?"

She shook her head. "I cannot say. Eric and Sookie will know when it's time. They will not like to stay apart," she said with a knowing smile. "Now leave me. I must focus. To keep the cloak up will take lots of energy."

I left Ruth, my head spinning from everything I had learned. As a telepath you think no one can hide anything from you. That is until you meet an old, experienced witch.

Since I couldn't do anything to help Sookie until Pam and Eric awoke, I made calls to have supplies delivered to fix the house. By the time Sookie was back home, I wanted it to be even more secure than it had been before. Even if we did end up having to go our separate ways.

**Eric POV**

I awoke and immediately knew I had to find out what had happened since the explosion. Upon awaking, I could automatically tell that Sookie and Pam were both still alive. I looked next to me and saw Pam waking up.

"What do you feel?"

"Daniel is alive," Pam said as she automatically got out of bed. She blurred down the stairs. I followed her and we found Ruth and Daniel in the kitchen.

"Tell me what has happened?"

Looking exhausted, Daniel answered, "We haven't learned anything new. The house is nearly fixed and we need you to use your blood connection with Sookie to find her."

"You mean you have not found her yet!"

"Check the bond Eric! She's fine! Now if you're ready, can we please go get her?"

"I will not be slowed down. Let's go Pam."

I noticed her watching Daniel as we spoke, and she looked worried. To be honest, I was worried as well. I hoped we made it to Sookie in time.

I went to Sookie as fast as my legs would carry me. She was not far. I could even track her on the Were's scent alone.

I came upon a traditional mansion in Louisiana. It was two stories high with white columns surrounding the porches. It looked like every light in the house was on and I could hear the obvious sounds of a party.

I did not have to turn to see if Pam followed. I knew she would, although I was surprised to see Daniel with her.

"Can you hear her, Daniel?"

"Barely. With all of the other minds in the house Sookie's is getting drowned out. Her brain waves are weak. She's exhausted, but she's not hurt."

"Where is she?"

"Hmmm... top floor, right side."

"Okay, Eric, how about you just fly up and get her?"

"That sounds like not a lot of killing, Pam," I said surprised by the lack of fight in her.

"I'd rather get Sookie out of there as safely as possible."

"Me too, but I cannot let whoever took her get away with it. Pam, go make some calls and hurry back. And bring Ruth and a car with you."

"Don't start without me!" She barely finished her sentence before she was gone.

"So what's the plan, Eric?"

"I am going to get Sookie out of that house as fast as I can. I do not care if I have to rip a hole in the side of it. Then I am going to pass her off to Ruth and then we will kill everything in sight."

"How can you be so sure Ruth can get Sookie out of here without being followed or hurt?"

"That is why Pam had to make some phone calls. Every trusted vampire from Area 5 will be here in a matter of minutes. We will make sure Sookie and Ruth are safely on their way and then we slaughter the idiot that even thought to touch her. Keep an..." I waved my hands at him hoping he would get the point.

I continued to scan the area without stepping any further into it. I did not want to trip any alarms, if there were any.

Not even 10 minutes had passed before the first vampires started to show. Among them was Ruth's daughter and her boyfriend. I started to brief the incoming vampires on the plan while Daniel continued to listen for Sookie.

Nearly 30 minutes after Pam had left she came back driving a car with Ruth sitting up front. When the car came closer, I could see the backseat was overflowing with weapons. As soon as the car came to a stop, Pam immediately got out and started passing out the weapons while Daniel went to talk to Ruth.

When everyone was finally settled, we took action. I flew with Daniel up to the room Sookie was in. Daniel mentally told her we were coming for her so she could be on alert.

"There's a vamp outside her room. As soon as you get in there, drop me so I can kill it."

When we got to the window I could see Sookie inside. She was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room waiting. I could not open the window, so it had to be broken. Daniel had to do it since my arms were full from carrying him.

As soon as the crash sounded, a vampire burst into the room and ran at Sookie. I could not get into the room fast enough. He was on her before I could even force Daniel into the window. I was afraid he would hurt Sookie, but I was not prepared for what happened next.

Just as he tried to grab Sookie's arm, she pulled her hand out from behind her back and stabbed the vampire in the heart with a wooden slat from the back of the chair she was sitting in. She did not waste any time running to me. I scooped her up in my arms as fast as I could and took her to Ruth.

The vampires that came with us were already charging toward the house by the time I got Sookie to the car. Ruth was waiting in the car, ready to drive away.

"Please take care of her Ruth."

"Don't worry, Eric. Nothing will be able to touch her."

I put Sookie in the front seat, buckled her in, and shut the door before I turned to go back to the house to kill everything inside.

When I walked through the front door there were already dozens of bodies lying around. Vampires, Weres, and humans were scattered across the floors while even more were still fighting. I caught sight of Pam ripping the head off of a Were. She caught my eye and I nodded to her, letting her know Sookie was okay. After that, all hell broke loose.

More and more vampires and Weres were entering the house and not all of them were mine. As quickly as I could, I began cutting off heads with the sword Pam had brought me. A sword was by far the best weapon. No matter what kind of creature it was, a decapitation would kill it.

By the time the fighting was over I had managed to only get a few cuts and a busted lip. Pam looked much of the same. Once we were sure everyone was dead, all beside the few we captured for questioning, I was ready to go for Sookie. I did not want to waste anytime so I started for the door as soon as I could.

"Wait, Eric! What about Daniel?"

"Go find him, Pam. I have to make sure Sookie is okay."

She nodded and immediately started out of the room. That was twice she had shown worry for Daniel that night and I was beginning to think she cared for him more than she let on.

While Pam went in search of Daniel, I went in search of Sookie. I could not wait to see her any longer.

**Pam POV**

I knew Sookie would be safe with Ruth and Eric but I had to find Daniel. Sookie would be devastated if he died. I used the bond I created with him to find him. He was still in the room Eric dropped him in. He was lying in a pool of blood and I immediately felt weak, and pissed at Eric for leaving him to fend for himself.

"Daniel!"

"Gah, don't yell Pam. My head is killing me."

"You're bleeding!" It was then he seemed to notice his surroundings. He slowly looked around the room and then looked down at the puddle of blood he was laying in.

"Not my blood."

"What happened to you?"

"I'm not saying. You'll laugh."

"Tell me or I'll force feed you my blood. A lot of it."

"You know I hate that shit."

"Tell me."

"I slipped in the blood..."

"I'm sorry. You what?" Certainly I had not heard him right.

"I said, I slipped in the damn blood and hit my head, okay? I killed a room full of vampires, Weres, and humans, made it out alive and then slipped in their blood and knocked myself out. Happy?"

"Very," I beamed. "Now get your ass up. We have to catch up to Eric and Sookie."

"Help me up."

"What's this? _You_ asking _me_ for help?" I teased.

"Shut up and help me. My head hurts. I hit it pretty hard."

"Oh, you poor baby," I said as I easily picked him up.

"You know, it's really emasculating when a crème puff like you can pick me up like that."

"Fine, if it'll make you feel better, you can carry me around."

"Not right now. Maybe later. Now can we please get the hell out of this house?"

"Watch your mouth. And come on."

No matter how much he protested, I carried him until we were out of the house. I couldn't risk him slipping in any more blood. Daniel was whining so much I almost knocked him out just to get him to shut up. And I didn't care what he said, he was getting some blood.

Before we invaded the mansion, we decided to meet at my house since. We figured if anyone managed to survive the fight, they would come right for Eric's house looking for us. All of the supes and humans we captured were taken to the basement in Fangtasia. I wasn't too worried about Eric getting in trouble for keeping hostages down there since I didn't plan on any of them surviving to tell the story. Hopefully we would have answers soon.

As we got closer to my house, Daniel insisted on walking, or rather limping.

When we opened the door, I saw Sookie asleep on the couch and Eric was pacing back and forth through my living room. Ruth was in the kitchen making something.

"What are we going to do from here?" I asked.

"You, Sookie, and Daniel are leaving tonight. We are not even going to wait for her to wake up. I want all of you gone within the next 10 minutes."

"Where are we going?"

"I do not know and I do not care. Just get Sookie far away from here. I got a call from Fangtasia. The humans are talking."

"Did they tell you who was behind the bomb and Sookie being taken?"

"Yes. And it is not good."

"Well tell us, Eric, so we know who we have to kill!"

"It was the fucking Queen!"

"Of Louisiana?" I asked, shocked.

"No Pam, the fucking Queen of England," he growled at me. I was surprised it didn't wake Sookie up.

"Okay... what are we going to do about this?"

"You are going to do exactly what I said and get the hell out of here. When you leave, do not call me, do not write. No contact at all. I do not want anyone to be able to connect you back to me."

"Eric-"

"No, Pamela. This is not up for negotiation!" And with that, he stormed out of the room.

Ruth came in from the kitchen looking ill.

"Pam, can I talk to you?"

I had no idea what she wanted because Ruth rarely ever talked to me, but it must have been something important.

"Did you need something?"

"When do you plan on leaving?"

"We're not leaving until Sookie wakes up. She'll be devastated if she doesn't get to say good-bye."

"She'll wake up as she gets further away from the house."

I didn't really know what to say to that... how would Ruth know that?

"I wanted to tell you not to worry about Eric. Once you all leave, I'll take care of him."

Was she serious? _She_ was going to take care of _him_?

"That's a really nice offer but I'm sure Eric can handle himself without your... help. And we're still not leaving until Sookie wakes up."

"Look, Pam, I'm trying to be nice about this. It's imperative that they both survive this."

"They who?"

"Eric and Sookie."

"Well obviously. What would we do if either of them died? They're the most important people in all of our lives."

"You'll understand what I mean in time. Just make sure Sookie makes it back alive." And with that she walked away from me.

Okay… Ruth was acting really weird.

I knew that we should have left as soon as possible but I still wanted to wait for Sookie to wake up. She would never forgive me if she didn't get to say good-bye to Eric and Ruth. And I still had no idea where we were going.

As I walked back into the living room, Sookie was still asleep on the couch and Daniel was sitting on the coffee table looking at her. Eric and Ruth were nowhere to be found.

"How is she?"

"She's not awake yet and her mind is blank," Daniel said looking puzzled. "We should really get out of here before anyone comes looking for us."

"Don't you think we should wait until she gets up? She'll want to say good-bye to Eric and Ruth." Out of all of us, Daniel seemed to understand how Sookie was feeling at any given time, and was always sure to take her feelings into account. Ironically, it seemed like I was the only one thinking about Sookie's human emotions now.

"We don't know when she's going to wake up and we can't waste time. I have everything we need in the car ready to go. I want to be out of the state before we have to hide for the day."

"If I rode in a coffin, we could travel during the day too," I offered, even though I hate coffins.

"You hate coffins, Pam. Besides, we can't risk anything happening to you by driving in the day. What if we got into an accident or pulled over? How would we explain a coffin? And if the coffin were ever opened you would catch fire. Then I would be arrested, Sookie would be taken to child services and we would all be sitting ducks."

"Fine, but I hate that we have to be slowed down."

"Then let's get going now. I would rather be in a state that doesn't have an alliance with Sophie-Anne."

"What about Sookie?"

"Pick her up and let's go, Pam. She can either wait to say good-bye and put her life in more danger because of it, or we can leave now and she can live to see Eric and Ruth another day."

When he put it like that, it wasn't a hard decision to make.

"Fine. Grab her and let's go." I said to Daniel. "We're leaving!" I yelled out before we walked out the door with Daniel trailing behind me with Sookie in his arms.

I got in the driver's side and started the car while Daniel buckled Sookie into the back seat. As soon as he got in the car and shut his door, I took off.

Just as Ruth said, Sookie started to stir the further we got away from the house. Once she was fully conscious, she got up onto her knees and looked out of the rear window. I looked in my mirror and could make out something standing in the street. It was Eric. I guessed Eric and Sookie were saying good-bye to each other after all. Sookie watched out the back window long after she couldn't see Eric anymore.

She eventually sat back in her seat and stayed quiet. We all did.

* * *

**A/N:** And so it begins!

I haven't written beyond this point but I'm on spring break this week so as soon as I feel better I'll start writing more.

I have the next chapter of Cop-Out done and it's with the beta.

I think that's all I have to say... don't forget to review!


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Since it's been so long since I posted, I figured I'd give you a run down from the beginning. Coming back from a meeting, Eric discovered a car in a river. He saw a child in the water and decided to save her. He brought her back to his house, only to discover she was a telepath. Because of her abilities Eric decided to keep her. He hired the only telepath he knew, Daniel, to train Sookie to use her powers. In the previous chapter, Sophie-Anne captured Sookie after she discovered Eric had possession of a child telepath. Daniel discovered Ruth, the housekeeper, was a witch after Eric's home was attacked. Eric used his bond with Sookie to find her, and a battle ensued at the mansion Sookie was being kept at. After rescuing Sookie, Pam and Daniel took Sookie and ran in order to ensure her safety. It's been 12 years since they have been in Shreveport and Pam has only had very limited contact with Eric since they left.

As always, I don't own the characters of Southern Vampire Mysteries, and any mistakes are my own.

* * *

After 12 years of being on the run, we were finally able to return home, although it didn't feel much like home anymore. I had been moving from place to place longer than I have lived in any one home.

Pam decided that we should return to Louisiana since vampires had finally decided to come out, and there was no longer the threat of attack for supporting the reveal. Daniel thought we should wait to return because there was going to be fallout from vampires revealing their existence, both from humans and supes.

Although I didn't doubt Daniel's logic, I think he just wanted to keep our little family to himself. In the years we've been in hiding, Pam had become like a mother to me, and Daniel was like my father. Even though Pam and Daniel felt like my parents, that's not the story we used with the people we encountered. Pam still looked like the 19-year-old girl she was when she was turned, and as I got older, Pam and I looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. We had to keep moving, not only so we wouldn't be caught in one location for too long, but also because humans became suspicious of our family. It was hard to live in a place for too long when one member of your family never aged and you only emerged from the house at night. Eventually people got to talking.

We tried to keep ourselves hidden as much as possible so we didn't attract attention from humans or Supes. We stayed in high-populated areas because people were too suspicious of outsiders in small towns, and they were more likely to notice if a person or two went missing… which was all Pam's fault. We didn't have much contact with Eric since we left him in the middle of the street, but Pam assured me, through her bond with him, that he was okay, or at least alive. I barely remembered Eric from the time I had lived with him. Daniel said I was repressing my memories because I was traumatized from being captured and forced to leave the only place I truly felt at home.

With the thought of returning home, I tried to think of Eric, and I honestly couldn't think of much. I hadn't spent much time with him because he was always so busy being the Sheriff of Area 5. I would see him in passing as he would leave the house after rising and I would see him at the celebrations he would sometimes attend. Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving didn't hold much meaning to a Viking vampire. However, without fail, Eric was there for every one of my birthdays.

The thing I remember most about Eric is the sense of security I always felt whenever he was near. It was something that I never felt with anyone else, even Pam and Daniel. It no doubt stemmed from my first meeting with Eric, in which he saved me from drowning. That feeling only intensified as Eric continued to come to my rescue throughout my time with him. He seemed to always know when I was in pain or in trouble and would send Pam or Daniel to me, or in rare occasions he would come himself. For example, when I started my period…

When I was young, Pam used to tease me about having hero worship for Eric. Daniel would say I wanted to stay with Eric because of the image I built of him in my head, rather than any real feelings I developed for him.

As an adult, I had to say I agreed with him. Time spent away from Eric had shown me that I wasn't as attached to him as I thought, and I discovered that I didn't know much about the mysterious vampire that I considered my savior. It wasn't until I got older that I started to understand more about the people I spent time with and what was happening around me.

To say that Pam was a vampire meant little to me as a child because I had limited knowledge of vampires. The vampires I read about in stories certainly weren't anything like Pam. When I thought of vampires I thought of Dracula, not a petite blonde wearing pastels. Yet, even though Pam didn't look like a stereotypical vampire, it wasn't hard to remember what Pam was when you saw her feeding.

When Pam fed from Daniel, she was careful not to tear his skin or take too much. When she fed on strangers, she didn't hold back. One night I walked into the basement, of one of our many houses, only to discover Pam feeding from a man. I'll never forget the way his flesh was torn from his neck or the look in his eyes as he struggled to get out of her grip. His eyes became foggy and glazed over as she drained him. It was like you could literally see the life being drained from him with each pull.

Daniel hated for Pam to feed on anyone but him but he knew it was necessary. She couldn't live on the little bit of blood she was willing to take from him. He would help lure people to the house for Pam to feed on and he would watch the entire time to make sure Pam was safe. Like he was more capable to defend Pam than she was able to defend herself.

Daniel tried to hide his feelings by making excuses. He used to say that Pam drinking from people could expose us, but I could see the jealousy on his face and in his thoughts. Pam and Daniel thought I didn't know about their relationship but it was hard to hide when they went at it like rabbits.

Once I was passing through the dinning room of one of our homes and I noticed our neighbor staring out of her window with a startled look on her face. I followed her line of vision only to see my _dad_ fucking my _sister_ up against the side of the house. Needless to say, we had to move that night.

Other than the rare awkward situation I would stumble upon, my life with Pam and Daniel was great. It really was. I certainly never got tired of moving from place to place without any warning or looking over my shoulder, waiting for someone to jump out and kill me. Probably my favorite part was my loneliness. I didn't have a chance to make any friends and we moved before I could get attached to anything or anyone. Pam and Daniel scared off any friends or boyfriends I might have had, especially boyfriends. Can you hear the sarcasm?

Even though my life wasn't easy, it made me the woman I am today and I couldn't be more proud of her. I knew how to use my abilities better than any other telepath I knew, which isn't saying much since Daniel is the only telepath I had ever met. But I also learned how to use all kinds of weapons to defend myself and I can also kick ass in hand-to-hand combat. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, and as soon as we get to Louisiana, I'm going to tell Pam so. I'm 25 years old. It's about time I live on my own.

"Sookie, quit daydreaming and get your shit packed," Pam said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "At least you look nice. I definitely don't miss the days when you dressed like a boy."

"All thanks to you, mother," I said sarcastically as I twirled in the white dress Pam insisted I wear. "Why are you so anxious to get back anyway?"

"I've been away from my maker for 12 years and I need to check on how things are running in Louisiana. You have no idea how difficult these years away have been."

"For a control freak like you? I can only imagine."

Pam was about to reply, likely with a smart-ass comment, when Daniel walked in. Although Pam hadn't changed since we've been gone, Daniel and I certainly have. Daniel still had his shaggy brown hair and brown eyes, but he looked more mature. He had tiny lines around his eyes and mouth, which only brought out his features. If he wasn't like a dad to me I might admit that he was attractive, but since he was like my dad, yuck.

"Would you girls stop arguing and come on. We're burning the midnight oil," Daniel said as he came up and put his arm around Pam.

They, mainly Pam, claimed their relationship was just casual but it was hard to deny your relationship when you had been exclusive for basically 12 years. I'd noticed that since we'd been preparing to return, Pam had been trying to distance herself from Daniel. And by the look on Daniel's face, he knew it too.

"I'm not the one delaying us," Pam said as she slipped out of Daniel's grip.

"Don't you two start bickering now. I'm coming."

We packed up our van and headed out on the road toward Shreveport. Because Pam had been anticipating our return, she began to choose our homes closer and closer to Shreveport. That way when we made our eventual return, we wouldn't have to risk driving during the daylight to get there.

I could tell Pam was anxious to get back to Eric but Daniel and I were a little more on edge. For one thing, I wasn't sure what to expect from Eric. Sure he seemed nice when I was a child, but how would he react to the woman I am now? Would he even recognize me?

Daniel was nervous for another reason. I know he thought the only reason Pam was with him was because she didn't have Eric around. He was afraid she would ditch him as soon as she was reunited with Eric. I wasn't too sure what Pam would do. I only knew that she was becoming more and more distant from Daniel the closer we got to Shreveport and it was pissing Daniel off.

"Are we going to talk about what we're going to do once we get to Shreveport or are we going to ride the entire way in silence?"

"What is there to discuss?" Pam asked without even looking at Daniel.

"How about where we're going to live? Is the Queen still a threat to us? Or how about why you've been acting so fucking weird since you mentioned going back to Louisiana?"

"Now is not the time for your jealous shit, Daniel. Eric has acquired a number of properties in 12 years and I'm sure he'll let us stay at which ever one we want. After we left, Eric had my house burned down just incase there was anything inside that could be used to track us. I plan on staying with Eric at his house, at least for the first night. We have a lot to catch up on."

"And the Queen?" Daniel asked through gritted teeth.

"Eric assures me it's under control. He wouldn't have let Sookie come back if he thought she was in danger."

"I really don't care what Eric thinks right now. I want to know facts. What happened after we left?"

"I agree with Daniel. We should know what we're getting into before going back," I said from the backseat. "I know you believe in your maker but I need to know for myself if my life is in danger. You guys didn't raise me to be an idiot so I'm not risking my life for someone's opinion."

"Eric is not just _someone_, he's my maker. He's the reason you're alive. In fact, if it weren't for him, none of us would be alive. Both of you need to keep in mind that you owe him before you start to act ungrateful."

"Pam, I realize I have a lot to be grateful for from you, Daniel, and Eric, but I don't owe my life to anyone, don't you ever forget that."

"And if you remember, Eric came to me to help Sookie, I didn't go to him. Eric is the reason we were on the run for 12 years. He's the reason the Queen found out about Sookie. So if us non-vampires want to know what the fuck is going on, you're going to tell us."

Pam sat in silence for a minute debating what to do before she eventually conceded.

"Fine. After we rescued Sookie and left, the Queen was pissed. She would have killed Eric if he didn't control so much area in Louisiana. She didn't have anyone under her control that would have been able to handle it, not to mention Eric has some powerful allies. Even though she can't kill Eric outright, she hasn't given up on trying anything she can to get rid of him. She wanted Sookie and she's pissed that Eric openly rebelled against her. The fact that Eric led a rebellion and, is not only alive but still the Sheriff of Area 5, has made the Queen look weak. Sophie-Anne has something planned but Eric doesn't know what. It appears she's been trying to turn more vampires in order to build her army."

"No offense to your glorious maker, Pam, but why is Eric leading us back to Louisiana when the Queen is still after our throats?" Daniel asked, clearly irritated.

"If you'd let me finish!" Pam yelled. "With the vampire reveal the Queen is too busy to deal with Eric right now. She's still trying to figure out how the vampires of Louisiana are going to reveal themselves and she'll have to deal with the fallout from the reveal. The Weres and other Supes are pissed that we're revealing ourselves because they know humans are going to start questioning what else goes bump in the night. Eric thought this was the perfect opportunity for us to come back. While the Queen is preoccupied with the reveal we'll have a chance to regroup. Besides, Sookie isn't the weak child she once was. She's better able to protect herself now."

"As far as Eric can tell the Queen isn't actively trying to attack him, but you know it won't be long before talk of our return gets back to her. What are we going to do then? What are we going to do about the reveal? The humans aren't just going to sit back and accept the fact that they're not at the top of the food chain anymore."

"Daniel, it doesn't matter where we live, vampires are revealing themselves all over the world. I don't know about you but I'd rather be at home with allies than out by ourselves trying to face the humans."

"What about the other Supes? They're not going to just sit around while vampires threaten their secrecy."

"And they're also not going to risk starting a war with us. Think about it, Daniel. Nothing would reveal the other Supes more than if they are fighting vampires out in the streets."

"I'm still not sure about this."

"You don't have to be sure, you just have to go along with it. This is what's best for us. You might not think I care about Sookie, but I do. She's an important player in this game."

"Well that's reassuring. There's nothing I like more than being talked about like a chess piece," I replied hurt that that's how Pam thought of me.

"Sookie, after all we've been through, if you think I only think of you as a chess piece then humans are even stupider than I originally thought."

Well that's comforting.

**Eric POV**

"Are you ready for this Eric?"

"Ah, Ruth. Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I might be old but I'm not dead, yet."

"Being dead is not so bad," I joked with my longtime housekeeper, and more recently, my ally.

"I'd have to agree with you considering most of the _people_ I know are vampires. When are the telepaths coming back again?"

"Are you telling me there is something you do not know?"

"Now's not the time to get sarcastic vampire."

"I would not think about it, witch."

Considering how long I had been alive, 12 years was not a long amount of time but it felt like I had been fighting this battle for 12 decades. Twelve years of fending off the Queen's attempts to get rid of me. Twelve years of worrying about the safety of my child and the little telepath in her care. Twelve years of planning and scheming to try to make everything right.

After Pam and Daniel left with Sookie, Louisiana was in an uproar. The Queen wanted to kill me but she could not without revealing what we were fighting for, a telepathic child. Sophie-Anne did not want to lose Sookie to me but she would not risk losing her to someone else either. At least she could trust that I would keep Sookie safe. And as long as Sookie was not physically in my care, the Queen seemed satisfied that I could not use Sookie against her. However, that did not mean that Sophie-Anne would forgive me. Once a traitor, always a traitor, and in Sophie-Anne's eyes, I was the biggest traitor of them all. The fact that I had dared to disobey her was enough to make me her greatest enemy.

Telepaths were rare to come by and I had two on my side. The fact that Sookie was a child made her even more valuable. Adult telepaths were notoriously difficult to work with, if you could even find one. People like Daniel were hard to control. Daniel was threated with the lives of his family and that was the only thing that could be used to make Daniel bend. But once Daniel's family was killed, he was uncontrollable. There was nothing left to threaten Daniel with, except his own life, but a dead telepath was not a useful telepath. Some vampires even attempted to turn telepaths, hoping they could force the telepath to obey by being their maker. The only issue with that plan was the telepaths always lost their ability once they were turned. They were nothing more than an average vampire.

With Sookie being a child, she would have been easier to control. She would have grown attached to the ones who cared for her and she would have done anything to please them. A telepathic child is a telepath that you can mold.

It was a risk sending Sookie away from me. Our bond was weaker from the years we had been apart and I did not know how she felt about me now. On the rare occasions I spoke with Pam to discuss the situation in Louisiana, I never had time to talk to her about Sookie. Other than knowing she was alive, I did not know anything about her.

I hoped sending Daniel with her would ensure her telepathic ability would be developed, but without a strong bond with Sookie, I had no guarantee she would be loyal to me. My only hope was that she would grow attached to Pam, as her caregiver, and would be loyal to her. I knew Pam would never betray me so Sookie's loyalty to Pam would be almost as good as Sookie's loyalty to me.

Having both telepaths being loyal to me, not to mention the powerful witch beside me, would be a great advantage against any of my enemies.

Ruth revealed her true nature to me not long after Sookie left. Sophie-Anne had planned an attack on Fangtasia by using hired Weres. The problem with hiring help is they are only loyal to the money, not to the employer. I was staying in the basement of Fangtasia because it had become a home to me. Without Pam or Sookie living with me, I had no reason to live in an actual house. After living with other people, I found living on my own quite lonely. It also made getting to work a lot easier when you lived in the basement. Unfortunately Sophie-Anne learned of my living arrangements and hired Weres to burn Fangtasia down as I was sleeping inside. I was defenseless as the fire raged through Fangtasia.

Despite my protests, Ruth refused to leave my side after Sookie left. She was a liability but I could not force her to leave me. I figured as long as Ruth was with me, she was safer than if I had sent her away on her own. Little did I know Ruth would be the one to save me.

I was barely able to gain consciousness while Fangtasia was burning all around me. I tried to drag myself from my bed but I was moving too slowly to make it out of the building in time. Besides, once I made it outside, the sun would have burned me anyway.

I was accepting my final death when I saw a figure emerging through the flames. Because I did not trust anyone to be around me while I was dead to the world, there was no one I knew inside Fangtasia except for me, so I thought it must have been one of the Weres making sure their mission was carried out.

I could not have been more surprised when the figure walking through the fire turned out to be my housekeeper, Ruth. The flames touched her skin yet they did not burn her. I thought she was a figment of my imagination until she reached out to touch me.

"Come on Eric. Don't just sit here and let them kill you."

"Ruth?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you not being burned by the flames?"

"I might have forgotten to mention something to you. I'm a witch…"

Too weak, and grateful, to process what she told me, I tried to focus on moving my feet so I could get out of the building.

Ruth had a car waiting so I was only mildly burnt by the flames and the sun before I could seek safety.

"I know how you vampires get when you're hurt so there's a few bags of blood in the cooler back there."

Instead of responding I ripped the cooler apart to get to the blood. After draining the bags I passed out again only to wake up in an unfamiliar place.

"Don't worry Eric, you're safe. But I think we need to have a little talk."

Ruth proceeded to tell me about meeting me when she was a child and how she found me again after her daughter visited Fangtasia. She told me about her desire to keep working by my side so she could continue to help. I was weary to trust Ruth because it was clear she had lied to me for so long, but she had done nothing but helped me since we had met, so I had no reason not to trust her. My instincts told me Ruth was my ally, and I never doubted my instincts.

Ever since that day, Ruth had been by my side. She helped supervise the rebuild of Fangtasia and she was powerful enough, and trustworthy enough, to stay with me during the day. While Pam was gone, Ruth made an excellent second in command. The information she was able to gain also helped during the fight against Sophie-Anne.

And finally, after all those years of struggling, we were able to let Pam, Daniel, and Sookie come home.

"Are they any closer?"

"I feel my bond with Pam getting stronger. They will be here soon."

"What are we going to do once they get back?"

"They are coming to meet us here, at Fangtasia. Then we will go home and discuss what must be done next. I was only able to speak to Pam for a limited time when I was able to speak to her at all. We definitely did not have time to devise plans."

"Don't you think them meeting us here, in public, is going to alert everyone that they're back?"

"I did not have time to give Pam any other place to meet. We kept our conversations short and I could barely speak Fangtasia before Pam hung up on me. I have carefully set Fangtasia up to make it as safe as possible. Closing the club would cause too much attention, therefore the club is officially closed to host a _private party_, which I have carefully orchestrated. Only trusted vampires and carefully picked humans were allowed to attend. Plus, I have faith in Pam. She will alert us to their presence without drawing attention."

"I hope you're right. Just in case, I'm going to stay back here and watch the cameras. An old lady hanging out at a place like this would draw a lot of attention anyway. Besides, this way I can check the parking lot to see when they arrive."

"Very well. I shall take my place on stage and await our guests."

I left the office and went down the hallway leading to the bar area. If I were being honest with myself, I would admit that I was nervous about tonight. It had been so long since I had seen any of them and I was not sure what to expect.

As I climbed onto the stage, the humans in the room drew their attention toward me. The vampires in the room simply acknowledged my presence and continued to act as security for the evening. I could feel Pam getting closer, and I was almost positive they were here.

As I sat on stage waiting for Pam to make her entrance, a vision in white walked through the door. Every vampire in the room turned toward the new attendant, but not for the reason I would have expected. Because she was a late arrival, she clearly was not invited. However, the vampires were not treating her as an intruder, they looked as though they were enchanted by her.

I rose from my throne to confront the intruder, but the closer I got, the more I was able to smell her unique scent. She was not a human, she was a…

"You must be Eric," the woman said as I approached her. "I'm Sookie."

Holy hell. She had definitely changed.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for the long wait but I don't think my life is ever going to be at a point where I can post regular updates, at least not any time soon. For those of you who have stuck with me, I really appreciate those dedicated readers.

I apologize for any errors but after my original beta left me I haven't found a permanent replacement, and it's honestly easier for me to just beta it on my own since I can post without having to wait for someone to get back to me. Especially since I find I have to most time to write in the middle of the night, hence my extremely late posting; although it did take over an hour to get this to try to post...

As usual, because I stagger my posts between my two active stories, Cop-Out will be the next to update.

Edit: This chapter previously had Sookie being gone for 10 years but after a comment from Honulvr, I realized that would make Sookie 23, and that didn't match up with my timeline. Therefore I had to change the amount of years on the run from 10 to 12, making Sookie 25 when they return.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: **I want to start this off by addressing an error I've made in the previous chapter. I previously stated that Sookie had been gone for 10 years, but after a comment from Honulvr, I realized that would make Sookie 23, and that didn't match up with my timeline I had made in the first chapter. Therefore I had to change the amount of years on the run from 10 to 12, making Sookie 25 when they return. I have fixed this error in the previous chapter but I wanted to address it on this chapter too for those of you who had read the chapter before I fixed it.

Anyone doing a re-read of the story may have noticed that I've gone back and re-edited my other chapters. It actually took me longer than I expected to read all of my previous chapters and fix any grammar, spelling errors, and typos. I haven't made any major changes that would impact the story line but catching an error while I was re-reading my previous chapters irked me so much that I HAD to fix it.

This chapter is going to start off where the last one ended, with Sookie walking into Fangtasia and her and Eric re-meeting for the first time. This chapter is being told in Sookie's POV.

As always, I don't own the characters of Southern Vampire Mysteries, and any mistakes are my own.

* * *

Pam's idea of me walking directly into the bar may not have been the best idea. Everything completely stopped as soon as I walked through the doors, drawing WAY too much attention to myself. Pam thought it would have been better for me to meet Eric inside of Fangtasia because I was less recognizable than her or Daniel. No one would recognize me as the 13-year-old girl I was when I left but people would have definitely recognized Pam or Daniel. As I walked through the door, there was no doubt in my mind that Pam or Daniel would have made less of a scene than me.

Upon entering, I began to look around, not sure where I was supposed to go to find Eric. Everyone's eyes were trained on me as I walked through the room and I opened my mind to listen to their thoughts.

"_Who is that bitch?"_

"_Holy shit. I would love to be fucking her!"_

"_Why is he looking at her like that? I look better than her."_

"_Those tits cannot be real."_

Those were the types of thoughts I heard, along with more than a few blank spots I read from the vampires. Jealousy from the women, lust from the men, and not something I was very interested in hearing.

Okay, enough of that. After assessing that there was no real danger, I closed my mind and went back to my search for Eric. Once my eyes looked past the people crowded directly in front of me, I spotted him. There was no doubt in my mind that the person I was looking at was Eric. From the direction he was walking, it looked like he had just stepped down from the stage set in the back of the large room. There was a throne, there was really no other word for it, sitting on the stage. It was obvious that that's where Eric sat while he was at Fangtasia. It was almost unbelievable that the man sat in an honest to God throne.

I thought Eric would have had trouble getting through the crowded room but the sea of people began to part as he moved toward me. I couldn't see his face because of the crowd, but the moment they parted and I could see him, all of the air rushed from my lungs. I did not remember him looking like _that_.

He was tall. Taller than every other person in the room and his body… let's just say that for a dead man, he sure looked good. I could tell through his slacks and dress shirt that, while he still had muscle, his body was lean. Nothing like those over muscular body builders you'd see on TV. His hair was almost the same color as mine. Being able to go out into the sun made my hair a bit blonder because it was sun kissed. Once I got to his face it felt like I'd stopped breathing all together.

The first thing that stood out to me were his eyes. They looked like ice and his pale skin only made them stand out even more.

It was when I noticed his eyes that I also realized he looked rather pissed. Eric was walking toward me like a man on a mission and I was afraid of his reaction to me. He did not look friendly at all.

As soon as he approached me I blurted, "You must be Eric. I'm Sookie." I barely stopped myself from sticking my hand out in nervousness, learning long ago that vampires didn't shake hands.

At my admission he halted in his steps and just gaped at me. He seemed to snap to attention once he realized everyone was staring at our exchange.

"Please, follow me," he said as he took me by my elbow and began to guide me throughout the room.

As soon as his hand touched my skin, I shivered.

"I am sorry. My hands may be a little chilly," he said as he frowned down at where our skin met.

"Oh, no. It's not your hands," I said before he could let me go. It totally was his hands that gave me the chills but just not for the reason he thought.

"I think we should talk somewhere private. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, of course." We were way too formal considering I had lived with this man from the time I was seven until I was 13. It seemed as though we didn't know how to talk to one another but I wasn't the little girl I was when I left and Eric wasn't exactly how I remembered him.

I found my reaction to him disturbing. I was attracted to Eric, there were no two ways about it. It was definitely an odd thing to realize. Knowing him from my childhood threw me off. While I had grown into a woman that learned to appreciate the male physique, Eric was the same as I had left him. It felt odd knowing that a man I had known as a child now had the ability to make me shiver with just an innocent touch. I would need to think more on that later.

While I was having a conversation with myself about my reaction to Eric, he had led us over to the bar and was talking with a redheaded vampire.

"Clancy, I need you to keep an eye on things while I have a private conversation with a guest."

The other vampire simply nodded as he looked me over with an appreciating eye. "No problem," he said with a knowing smirk on his face.

It was obvious he thought Eric and I were going to do more than talk and I wondered how many times Eric had come to this man to watch the bar while he "talked" with a female patron.

"Please follow me. We will have some privacy in my office."

While Eric led me to a hallway off of the main bar, I began to take in my surroundings as much as possible. Aside from checking out the things Pam had drilled into me since I was a preteen, things like escape routes and the possibility of a surprise attack, I was also taking in the place. I had heard about Fangtasia so much but had never been inside. It didn't seem like a place Eric and Pam would own. It was very kitschy, and no one could ever dare to call Pam or Eric that.

Down the hallway there were numerous doors. He led us to one that failed to stand out from the rest, and opened the door. The first thing my eyes landed on was the old lady sitting at the desk. I automatically recognized her and the feeling that overcame me dwarfed anything else.

"Miss Ruthie!" I yelled as I threw myself across the room. She stood up to meet me but she didn't make it far before I was in her arms.

"Sookie, sweetie. I've missed you."

"I missed you too. So much." And I didn't realize how much until I was back in her arms. Ruthie had always been the stability I'd needed in my life. Eric, Pam, and Daniel couldn't dedicate every moment to me, but Ruthie sure tried.

"How have you been?"

"Considering what we've been up against, I'm pretty good."

"That's wonderful to hear. How are Pam and Daniel? They've been getting along pretty well I bet."

The way she said it made me think she knew just how well they'd been getting along but I was sure no one knew they'd been together except for me. "They're doing fine as well. They're waiting outside."

"Speaking of Pam and Daniel, if you are done getting reacquainted, there are some things we need to discuss."

"Oh, don't be such stifler. The girl's only been here two minutes after being gone for 12 years. Give us a chance to catch up."

"We do not have time for this!" Eric suddenly snapped. "You can catch up later. There are things we must discuss."

The way Eric talked to Ruthie didn't sit well with me. She was a sweet old lady. She looked even more fragile than she had when we'd left. She had to be nearly 80 by now and age was certainly catching up to her. It wasn't right for Eric to talk to her like that and I'd always had a problem with keeping my mouth shut.

"Don't talk to her like that."

"Excuse me?"

"I said don't talk to her like that. I realize the kind of situation we're in but that's no reason to treat someone disrespectfully."

Eric gritted his teeth but he didn't say much else. The moment had definitely turned awkward, until Ruthie interrupted.

"Sookie, honey. Would you mind going back to Pam and Daniel now? Let them know we'll be out in a minute. You can sneak out the back door without being seen."

"Sure," I said skeptically, looking at Eric. He might have been attractive but he also seemed like an asshole. Typical, I guess. No one was perfect.

I walked out into the hallway and saw the exit sign above the back door. I started walking down the hall when I heard Ruthie and Eric talking.

"I do not know how to talk to her."

"I know. It'll get easier. It's like you're meeting for the first time all over again."

"I cannot believe she snapped at me."

"I can't believe you let her."

"Believe me, I had to bite my tongue, hard. She just arrived, I cannot scare her off in the first five minutes. This is not the way I planned on this going."

"I know, Eric. Just give it time. It's bound to be awkward."

"Pam and Daniel will be much easier to deal with. I am sure that have not changed as much as Sookie."

It sounded like their voices were getting closer to the hallway so I hurried down the hall and out the door. I found Pam and Daniel sitting in our van in the employee parking lot.

"How'd it go in there?" Pam asked tensely. It was clear things had not been going well in the car.

"It was fine. I met Eric and he had Ruthie with him. They'll be out in a bit."

"I'd always wondered what'd happened to Ruth. I wasn't sure she would still be working for Eric after all this time," Daniel chimed in.

"I don't understand why she still works for him. He seems like a jackass."

Pam bristled at that. "Eric may be difficult to deal with sometimes but let's not resort to name calling. That is my maker you are discussing."

"Yeah, yeah. We get it. Your maker this and your maker that. If you couldn't stand to be away from him then why did you leave? Sookie and I could have managed on our own."

"I wouldn't have trusted Sookie to you by yourself," Pam sneered.

"Would you two stop? What is up with everyone today? It seems like all everyone keeps doing is fighting."

"Who else is fighting? What happened in there?" Pam asked suspiciously.

"Nothing catastrophic but it definitely wasn't the happy reunion you were hoping for. Why did I even have to go in there anyway? Why couldn't they just have watched the cameras and came out when we pulled up?"

"It was important for you to be seen with Eric. We're going to be here for a while so there's a possibility you could be seen with Eric in the future. By meeting him at public place such as Fangtasia, everyone will assume that's where you met and they won't be suspicious about you being seen with him. The place was packed with select humans and vampires so that you would be safe but people would still hear about your meeting."

"Well we should have planned this little get together once Eric and I had met in private first. Throwing us together in front of a crowd was probably not the best idea."

"What happened in there?" Daniel asked this time.

Before I could answer the back door of Fangtasia opened to reveal Eric and Ruthie coming out of the building.

"Follow me to my home and we can talk safely there," Eric said before he walked over to the line of cars in the employee parking lot. Pam looked like she was about to explode out of her skin just from the sight of her maker. I felt like rolling my eyes.

"Sookie? Would you like to ride with me? We can talk in the car on the way over," Ruthie asked.

"Of course!" I said, excited to spend some time with Ruthie. We definitely needed to catch up.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Pam said from the van.

"Let her go, Pam. She'll be fine. We're all following each other anyway."

"I don't think I asked for your input," Pam snapped.

"Stop! I am a grown woman and I say I would like to ride with Ruthie. End of discussion," I said before I stomped over to where Ruthie stood.

"Probably not the best way to prove you're an adult if you're stomping your feet like a child having a temper tantrum," Ruthie joked.

"I know but I can't help it. They've been fighting all day and then we get here and everything isn't as great as I'd hoped. It seems like there's only going to be more fighting ahead."

"Oh honey, the fighting will never stop," Ruthie said as she led me over to her car.

"That's not making me feel very optimistic."

"It may not be optimistic but it's realistic. Once everything gets settled Pam and Daniel may stop fighting and Eric may lighten up but someone else will just come out of the woodwork and start it up all over again. Around here fighting is a constant thing, the players are the only thing that change. You just have to stay strong and get used to it."

"I guess you're right. I just thought that after all those years on the run faced with uncertainty I'd be able to come home and relax. I didn't think it would be so tense."

"You're older now and able to understand more about what's going on. Things are never going to be as carefree as they were when you were a child. We're almost to Eric's house and once we get there we'll all have a nice talk and sort things through."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm always right," Ruthie said as she winked at me.

When we arrived at Eric's house, our caravan had to stop so Eric could enter the security code into the gate. As we drove down the long driveway I looked around. With the gates and the tall bushes it almost looked like we were at the house I had lived in but it wasn't. It made me realize that I missed that old house, it was the only place I ever truly considered home. This new house was a bit bigger and looked to be made out of solid stone. It definitely wasn't a new build.

As we pulled up in front of the house all the cars came to a stop and everyone started filing out. Pam was the first one out of her car, followed by Eric getting out of his. Pam made a straight path toward him. I couldn't hear what they were saying from Ruthie's car but it was clear Pam and Eric were having a moment. If they had been human I was sure Pam would have ran straight into Eric's arms like one of those corny movies with the slow motion running. However, since Eric and Pam weren't human, they just kind of stood close and talked with their heads down. Although Pam tried to keep a neutral face, it was clear she was affected by being reunited with her maker, and Eric looked as pleased as I'd ever seen him.

"She must have missed him," Ruthie said from the driver's side.

"Of course she did. He's all she would ever talk about once we were away. Her and Daniel were close for a while but once Pam had it in her head that we could come back, she's had her sights focused on Eric."

"He's missed her too, all of you really. He kept to himself a lot after everyone left but he had a lot of responsibility and had to adjust quickly."

I got out of the car without replying. I wanted to hurry up and have this meeting to get it over with. The stress of the day was catching up to me and I just wanted to climb into the nearest bed and crash.

Once we were all inside the living room Eric began to speak.

"I am very pleased that you all have been able to return. Sophie-Anne has been quiet for some time and I have it on good authority that she is busy preparing for the reveal."

"How is that working out?" Daniel asked.

"It's been decided that we will have a spokes-vampire from each area make an appearance on the local news. At the same time vampires that own establishments, such as Fangtasia, will host a party on that night and will reveal ourselves to our customers."

"Won't that be a little dangerous? You don't think they'll try to attack you once they realize this isn't a joke?"

"There is always the possibility of backlash but it will be worth it. We will make sure we are properly protected so if a fight does break out, we will be able to stop it without any vampires or humans getting hurt."

"And what about the other supes? Aren't they still pissed that you're revealing yourselves?"

"Once they realized they were not going to be able to stop us, they have focused their efforts more on damage control than actually trying to stop us. We have agreed to make it seem as though vampires are the only things that actually exist. We do not want to reveal the entire supernatural population."

It all seemed like everything was going to work out but I knew things weren't going to run as smoothly as Eric was trying to make us think. I knew he wasn't stupid enough to think that everything would run efficiently, but he wanted us to believe it would.

"Where do we fit into all of this?" I piped up. I wanted to know why he thought bringing us back here was such a good idea.

"I have planned for you to join me at Fangtasia on the night of the reveal. I would be able to use your talents in order to gage how the patrons are truly reacting to the news. You might be able to help us put out any fires before they start."

"I don't think that's a good idea. What if she gets hurt?" I was surprised this came from Pam, seeing as how she was acting like Daniel and I didn't matter to her once she had Eric back.

"I am sure you and Daniel have had much time to train her. She should be able to handle anything being thrown at her."

Pam kept her mouth shut but it was clear she did not agree with me being on the front lines of the reveal. I wasn't too worried about it. Eric was right, I could handle anything.

"I'm sure Eric wouldn't object to us accompanying Sookie at Fangtasia to help protect her," Daniel said.

Eric looked unsure of the idea. "I will have to think about that. Once people begin to see you and Pam, they will know you have returned and they will begin to question where the child is. I do not want to start another fight with Sophie-Anne so soon after the reveal. She could kill me and easily blame it on humans who did not agree with our existence."

"I would feel better with Pam and Daniel being there. I don't know anyone here and it would be nice knowing that I have at least two people that would have my back."

"I will think about it," is all Eric would say on the matter. That was fine with me, I didn't feel like talking much more anyway. We could always come back and discuss this later. The reveal wouldn't be happening for another week.

"If you don't mind me interrupting, Sookie looks tired and I think she would benefit from some sleep. Why don't we pick this up later?" Ruthie asked.

Eric looked skeptical but after looking at me he finally relented. "You are right. Let us discuss where you all plan to stay."

"I planned on staying with you, at least until I can get my own living arrangements figured out," Pam said.

"I'll stay in a hotel tonight and figure out where I'll live as soon as possible," Daniel said.

Everyone looked to me. I didn't want to stay with Eric and Pam. Eric and I obviously weren't getting along too well and I didn't really want to see Pam following Eric around like she had been since we arrived. Plus I felt like I just needed a break from her. I definitely didn't want to stay in a hotel room with Daniel. I wasn't too sure where I was going to go actually. I looked over at Ruthie and I think she could see the indecision on my face.

"Sookie can come stay with me," Ruthie spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. I would rather Sookie stay here with Eric and I."

"You could always come to the hotel with me."

I had to stop them before they started trying to make decisions for me again. "No, I think I'm going to stay with Ruthie, if she'll have me. I'm old enough to make my own decisions and I don't want to have to live under the three of you my entire life. This sounds like a great idea, at least until I can move out on my own."

The idea of finally being free almost seemed like a dream. It wasn't as though I felt like a prisoner with Eric, Pam, and Daniel but I wasn't free to live my own life. I had experienced very little of a normal life since we left Shreveport. I never had very many friends and boyfriends were completely out of the question. I had met a Were boy, named Jonathan, when I was a bit younger. I would sneak out of the house during the day to meet with him and it was the first chance of freedom I'd ever had. We had been dating for two weeks before Pam and Daniel had found out. Jonathan would take me to places I would never have been able to experience with Pam, or Daniel, since he was stuck to Pam's side. We went to amusement parks and he took me to the beach. I would always be sure to make it home before Pam would rise and take a shower so she wouldn't be able to smell him on me.

One day Jonathan and I were at the beach. It felt like we were really getting to know each other and I felt comfortable enough to let him kiss me. As soon as his lips touched mine I forgot about everything but the feel of him. I had never felt anything like it before. I rarely had much physical contact. Pam was always so stoic and Daniel wasn't one for showing much affection. It had gotten to where I literally craved contact with another person and I was surely making contact with Jonathan. I didn't let him get far but we certainly lost track of time.

I made it home just before sunset, but as I opened the door, I knew I was in trouble. Pam had already risen and was waiting for me when I came home.

"Where have you been?" she snapped.

"I was out."

"Where? Daniel said you left the house earlier this afternoon to go to the library and never returned. Where. Have. You. Been?"

"I said I was out!" It was my turn to snap. I had been treated like a child my entire life and I was tired of living as a shut in.

"I can literally smell the dog on you. How could you do this to us? After everything we've done for you, how could you run off with a Were?"

"Stop it! It's not like I'm choosing him over you. I want a life. I want to live," I pleaded with her.

"And people in hell want Slurpee's. You can't always have what you want. Do you even realize what danger you've put us in?"

"Jonathan isn't like that. He doesn't even know about us."

"You think _Jonathan_ can't smell the vampire on you?"

I didn't know what to say because she was right. I was so worried about Pam smelling him on me, I didn't even think about him smelling her.

"Oh my God, Pam. I'm so sorry."

"We have to leave, now. Tonight."

"I'm sure it will be fine. Jonathan wouldn't do anything like that."

"You don't know that and we can't take that risk. We have to leave. Now go and pack your things."

I didn't want to leave but I couldn't argue. Pam was right, I had put us in danger by going out with a Were. At least if I had picked a human he would have never guessed that I lived with a vampire. I never saw Jonathan after that. Pam was so paranoid that we moved to another state entirely. I never even attempted to make a friend or have a boyfriend after that. I admit, I made a mistake going out with a Were. He could have easily found us out and a vampire and two telepaths were no match for a pack of wolves.

"Sookie, are you ready to go?" Ruthie said, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Yes, of course. I'll just need to grab my things from the van."

On our way out to the car, Eric stopped me. "Sookie, please wait." I stood there staring at him expectedly. I didn't have much to say to him. "I feel as though we have started off the on wrong foot. Please, let us start over. I do not want there to be any strife between us."

I took a second to think it over and realized he was right. As much as I didn't seem to like Eric, or his personality rather, he hadn't been that way with me when I was younger. Anytime I saw him he always tried his best to make me feel comfortable and welcome. And we were definitely going to be seeing a lot more of each other now that I was back.

"Of course. It's been a tough day. With all of the traveling and fighting, it's been making everyone a little tense."

"Lovely. I am sure you will be safe with Ruth. I only ask that you come back tomorrow at sunset so that we may get to know each other better, as well as discuss the details of the reveal."

"I'll be here."

"Sookie, I've got your stuff put into Ruth's car so you're all ready to go. Don't forget, you can call me if you need anything," Daniel said as he put my final bag in Ruth's car.

"Coming," I shouted back. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow," I said to Eric as I walked off.

"All set?" Ruthie asked as I sat in the front seat.

"Yep. I really appreciate you taking me in like this. I know we knew each other when I was younger but we're practically strangers now."

"Oh, no. We could never be strangers. And besides, I think you'll like it at my house. It'll give you a chance to make a friend."

Confused, I quirked my eyebrow up at her.

"I have a young witch at my house that I think you'd like to meet. Her name is Amelia and I think she's in need of a friend as much as you are."

"Amelia? I've never met a witch before," I said excitedly.

Ruthie didn't respond, she just smiled over at me. I smiled back and then sat in silence as we made our way toward Ruthie's house, and apparently a witch named Amelia.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you all have enjoyed that chapter. For those of you who watch The Walking Dead, you may have noticed the line about people in hell wanting Slurpee's. I totally borrowed that line from Daryl Dixon as I am in love with him and have spent the past 2 weeks catching up on The Walking Dead. Now I cannot wait until October.

For the next chapter, I plan on it being an Eric POV where he and Pam will be able to discuss things that have been on his mind since they've returned (mainly Sookie and his reaction toward her). I was going to address it in this chapter but it was already getting long and I don't really like mixing point of views in the middle of chapters, which may be hard for you to believe if you've read my earlier chapters, but what can I say? I'm a reformed woman, lol.

As usual, Cop-Out will be the next story to update. But before I post another chapter for that, I'm going to go back and do a re-editing for that story too. Lord knows it needs it.

If it tickles your fancy, I would appreciate it if you'd leave a review. I'm not going to lie, I totally love getting reviews after I post a new chapter.

I think that's all I have to say, and I'm going to stop rambling now, so see you at the next update!


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Seeing as how it's my birthday, at least for the next hour, I've decided to give you all a present; an update! I hope you all enjoy it.

I wanted to get this chapter posted before midnight so I'm going to go back and answer reviews after this chapter is posted, and after I eat dinner because I am STARVING!

In the last chapter Sookie, Daniel, and Pam have finally returned after being on the run for 12 years. Eric and Sookie had a bit of tension during their first meeting but have agreed to a truce. For the immediate future, Sookie decided to stay with Ruth, and Ruth's charge, Amelia, Pam decided to stay with Eric, and Daniel decided to find his own place.

As always, I don't own the characters and any remaining mistakes are my own.

* * *

Eric's POV

After finally having Sookie and Pam back after so long, I did not want Sookie to leave my sight but I knew I would get nothing accomplished while she was around. If Sookie could not stay with Pam and I, her staying with Ruth was the next best thing.

"Are you sure we should be sending her with Ruth?" Pam asked while watching Ruth pull off.

"She will be fine. Now there are things we must discuss."

"We need to get rid of him first," Pam replied, staring at Daniel while he removed more luggage from their van.

"Don't mind me. It's not like I can hear you or anything," Daniel quipped.

"I will need you to come by tomorrow evening as well," I said to Daniel, through the mounting tension I felt between Pam and him. "We have many things to discuss after Pamela and I catch up."

"Of course, Eric. I wouldn't think to miss it," the other man replied with a tight smile. "Now if you don't mind. Pam, come and get your fucking luggage so I can leave."

"What's the matter, honey, you won't carry in my bags for me?"

"I think we both know you can lift more than I can. Now stop playing these fucking games so I can go. I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to. I have some things I need to do tonight. Or someone," Daniel muttered under his breath.

Without another word, Pam vamped to the van, picked up her luggage and vamped back to the house.

"Hope you make it to your hotel okay you asshole!" Pam called sarcastically before she went inside.

"Bitch," Daniel mumbled before he got into his van and left.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I questioned as I went inside to talk to Pam.

When I entered the foyer I did not see Pam so I followed the sound of her grumbled, "Stupid fucking Daniel" until it led me into the living room. It was then that I saw Pam pouting on the couch. _Pam pouting…_

"Pamela, are you pouting?" I asked incredulously.

"Of course not," Pam said, as she sat up straighter. "I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what, exactly?"

"About what a mess everything is. It's going to take time to reacquaint ourselves back into Shreveport and then we need to decide permanent residences and what we're going to do about Sophie-Anne and Sookie. There's just a lot we have to do."

"Why not start with what has got you in such a terrible mood? You were not like this five minutes ago."

"I've spent the past 12 years living exclusively with humans. I think I have a reason to be a little bitchy."

"You have never complained about it before."

"Of course not. It was easier living with them when all we could count on was each other. I just don't know how we fit in Shreveport anymore. Daniel and I have been… close, since we left and I've watched over Sookie like my own daughter. But all of that is about to change. This is the first night we've all been apart."

"So you miss being away from them already?"

"No," Pam answered a bit too quickly.

I could not believe it. My tough as stone Pamela was upset because she missed her telepaths. While I had the urge to tease her with her human like emotions, there were more pressing things to discuss.

"When were you going to tell me about Sookie?"

"What about Sookie?" Pam asked, whipping her head around to face me after the abrupt change in subject.

"Do not play coy, Pam, this is serious. How could you send her into Fangtasia alone smelling like that?"

"Smelling like what, Eric? Fucking say it already!"

"Smelling like a fairy!" I roared.

"What are you talking about?" Pam asked, almost in a whisper.

"You cannot smell it? I find that hard to believe, Pamela, seeing as how fairies are our natural prey."

"I've been with this girl for nearly her entire life. I think I would know if she smelled like a fairy."

"Well apparently not because she came into Fangtasia smelling like a fairy and everyone noticed."

"I don't doubt your sense of smell, Eric, but how is this possible? How have I been around Sookie constantly for 12 years and not have smelled it?"

"Maybe that is part of the problem. Sookie did not smell like a fairy when she was a little girl and I had not noticed the scent until she came into Fangtasia. Maybe you are not able to smell it because you got used to it over time."

"It would make sense if the scent developed gradually but I would still find it hard to believe that I could get used to the smell of a fairy."

"But that has to be the case. Every being in the bar was attracted to her as soon as she stepped foot in Fangtasia. I could barely stand to be around her. She kept talking with Ruth and all I wanted to do was tear into her."

"ERIC!"

"Of course I was not going to," I interrupted her, "but it was trying to be standing next to her when she smelled like that."

"Is that why you were being so snappy to Ruth and Sookie?"

"Well I certainly did not want to spend anymore time shut up in my office with Sookie smelling like bait. I would like to think I have a lot of self control but there is only so much even I can take."

"Well what in the hell are we going to do about her? We can't let her be around other vampires smelling like a fairy."

"There are a couple of fairies that I have a working relationship that I can consult about this. They must know something we can do to diminish her scent seeing as how they work with the public and there is no way they could possibly avoid vampires."

"You've been holding out on me?"

"You know as well as I do that I would not allow you to feed from the fairies so there was no point in you even having contact with them."

Pam's expression became somber and I knew she had something on her mind.

"Seriously, Eric, can you handle being around Sookie?"

"Yes," I said through gritted teeth.

"I need to be sure. You know how important she is to… to our cause. It would be a shame to lose a telepath."

I knew there was more into her concern for Sookie than Pam was letting on but I did not push her. Confronting her about her feelings for Sookie, or even Daniel, would make Pam clam up and not talk to me. Even so, I just had to ask her one more question.

"What happened between you and Daniel?"

The fire I saw flash in Pam's eyes was enough to make a lesser vampire back down, but I was not a lesser vampire, and I was Pam's maker.

"Nothing is going on between me and the telepath."

"Okay then, what had been going on before you returned, and do not lie to me. I do not want to have to use my status as your maker over you but this may be important."

I hated forcing Pam to do something by using my power as her maker but sometimes it was essential when she refused to open up to me, like she was doing now.

"I didn't trust to be away from Sookie while I was wake at night. She still slept some at night but eventually she became used to sleeping during the day. I could tell Sookie was getting anxious, she hated being trapped in the house all the time but I couldn't trust to let her out, especially by herself. I had noticed a few times when I took her shopping that she was a magnet for supes. They would come sniffing around but they didn't even know what they were looking for. I became paranoid and moved around a lot at first, until I discovered they weren't drawn to us because they knew who we were. It was something else. I could never figure out what it was but now I guess we have our answer. Sookie must have some fairy blood running through her veins.

"Anyhow, Daniel was protective of Sookie as well," Pam said, returning to her original train of thought, "and it became harder and harder to find time to feed from someone and sex was completely out of the question. I technically didn't need it to survive and I couldn't risk being away from them any longer than necessary. One day Sookie was especially restless and I didn't want to leave her alone with Daniel. She knew better than to try to leave the house while I was there but all she had to do was pout at Daniel and he'd let her do anything. The hunger wasn't too bad but I could tell that if I waited much longer I would probably kill the person I fed from. I had taken small sips from Daniel throughout the years before we left and he had drunken some of my blood. I would have never taken any blood from him but he offered it. He walked right up to me and slashed his wrist right before my eyes." Pam's eyes glazed over as if she was remembering Daniel doing exactly as she said.

"I couldn't _not_ drink from him. Before I knew it I was straddling his waist and drinking from his wrist. I completely lost myself in the taste and smell of him but when I came back to my senses I jumped off of him. I had completely lost my self-control with him. I was furious and I refused to talk to him for the rest of the night. But then it happened again and again and I could no longer control myself with him than he could with me. We were always careful around Sookie but we couldn't keep our hands off of each other. Every chance we got we were together. It got to the point where Daniel didn't like me feeding from anyone other than him but I couldn't live off of one person alone. Once he got over his jealousy he would go find someone and lure them back to the house while I stayed with Sookie. I would feed from them and send them on their way and then Daniel and I would usually end up fucking. It was a perfect arrangement really. It was two less things I had to leave the house for."

"And now that you are back? How do you plan to handle your relationship with Daniel now?" I asked, curious for Pam's answer.

I was speechless by the fact that Pam had just admitted that she had essentially spent 12 years feeding from, and fucking with, the same man. Pam could barely stand to be with someone for more than a few days and I had assumed that sending Daniel with her would give them both an opportunity to spend some time away from Sookie to take care of their own needs. I had no idea it would push them together to satisfy each other's needs.

"I honestly don't know what Daniel plans to do now that we're back. We were only together because we had no other options. That doesn't seem to be the case now so I assume he'll take the first opportunity to fuck someone else for a change. I knew it would come to this so Daniel and I had been drifting apart a some time now."

"And how does it make you feel to know that he could be fucking someone else right now?" I had to ask because I knew Pam cared more about Daniel than she would admit. Pam strongly believed that having an emotional attachment to anyone was a human emotion, and a weakness, but she could not hide the way she felt about Daniel and Sookie. They meant a lot to her, she just would not admit it.

"I will kill the bitch," Pam growled in answer to my question. I could only smirk. "Do we have anything else we need to discuss?"

"No, why?"

"I'm feeling a little hungry." With that Pam got up and walked out of my house, no doubt in order to search for Daniel.

With Pam gone I was left to think about how I wanted to proceed with my plans. It became apparent that I would have to call Claude, Claudine, and Claudette. Three fairies I had known for a long time, and were easily accessible due to the fact that they lived in the human world. I had known their grandfather, Niall from numerous battles in the past and we had formed a camaraderie based on respect, rather than friendship. I would have to tread lightly when talking to the fairies. All fairies were either related in some way, or they were mortal enemies. If they had any indication that I had one of their own in my possession, they would want to meet her. If Sookie were related to them, they would want to take her, and if she were not related to them, they would want to kill her. I did not plan on losing Sookie either way so it was far better for me to hide the fact that she existed.

I went into my office and picked up the phone.

"Hooligans, how may we service you?" a seductive voice asked.

"I need to speak with one of the triplets."

"They're all a bit busy right now," the fairy on the other end of the phone replied tensely.

"One of them better get un-busy very quickly," I replied. The Cranes always had a fairy answer the phone incase supes called the main line and it was clear this fairy knew I was a supe. Exactly whom she thought she was dealing with, I did not know, but she was about to find out if I did not get my answers soon.

"Give me the phone Caitlin or you'll piss him off," I heard Claudette say before she answered the phone. "Northman, how nice to hear from you." Coming from any other fairy I may have thought her greeting was sarcastic but I knew Claudette took a liking to me.

"Claudette. How is business?"

"Oh the usual, can't complain. What's new with you? You seeing anyone?"

I could not help but to laugh. Claudette was a shameless flirt where I was concerned.

"Now Claudette, you know your grandfather would be out for my head if he knew I encouraged your flirting."

I heard her long sigh through the phone. "They never let us girls have any fun. A male fairy wants to sleep with someone outside of our race? Sure, why not? A female fairy wants to have a little fun with a certain vampire and she's put on house arrest indefinitely."

"They are afraid you would get hurt cavorting with a vampire," I joked. If I could stay on Claudette's good side, she may give me the information I needed without alerting anyone else.

"But you wouldn't hurt me, would you Eric?"

"I would try my hardest not to but you know how it is between vampires and fairies."

"Yes, I suppose I do." She paused. "So what did you call to talk about? Not that I don't love hearing your voice, but you've never made a social call and I can't imagine this time would be any different."

"I needed some advice about-"

"The great Eric Northman needs some advice from a little fairy like me? I never thought I'd see the day!" Claudette interrupted.

"Yes well, no one is all knowing. As I was saying, I am afraid that there may be a fairy in the area and my vampires are getting rather distracted by his or her scent. Is there any way to dilute a fairy's scent?"

"A fairy?" Claudette asked, but I could hear the change in the tone of her voice. This was not going to be easy.

"Yes," I replied hesitantly.

"Why exactly do you need to dilute a fairy's scent? I can't imagine one loose fairy could distract the entire vampire population of Area 5. Unless of course you have a fairy and want to hide 'his or her' scent in order to keep it hidden."

"Of course not."

"In any case, you know I can't tell you anything about the Fae. We are an extremely private group and I certainly cannot go around telling all of our secrets to vampires, no matter how attractive they are," Claudette purred.

"Is there not anything I can do to change your mind?"

"Oh honey, there's a lot you can do to change my mind."

"Not sexually, Claudette. I would be dead before I could even use the information you would give me."

"Fine. Hmm… what else could you give me that would make it worth giving up Fae secrets… OH! I got it! I want to come to your bar on the night of the reveal!"

"WHAT?!"

"Oh yes! It's been so long since I've been allowed to roam free and I would so love to see you. My grandfather won't do anything to you for simply letting me into your bar, and I would love to see how the humans react to the vampires."

Claudette was easily the best fairy to bargain with since she genuinely liked me but I could not let her get close to Sookie, could I?

"I do not know if that is a good idea."

"Well too bad because that's the only thing I want. You promise to let me in and I'll tell you how to hide a fairy's scent."

"Fine," I groaned. I knew Claude and Claudine would not tell me anything so it was either Claudette or no one.

"Great. You can't hide a fairy's scent," Claudette said, shocking me while she sounded bored.

"WHAT!?" I yelled for the second time in our short conversation. I could not believe I had agreed to her terms and she could not help me.

"I said you can't hide a fairy's scent," Claudette called louder, then continued. "Only a fairy can mask their own scent. If you have a fairy running around stinking up the place it's because they want to be scented."

"What if they cannot hide their scent?"

"I've never heard of a fairy that couldn't hide their scent," Claudette laughed.

"Let me rephrase that. What if the fairy does not know how to hide their own scent?"

"Northman, do you know of a fairy that I don't? You know grandfather likes to keep all of the Fae accounted for. What fairy would be running around without at least knowing the basics? Unless the fairy didn't grow up around the Fae. Unless the fairy didn't know it was a fairy."

Damn. For as carefree as Claudette seemed, she was smart.

"I am sure it is nothing like that. But assuming I run into this fairy, how do I get it to mask itself?"

"Alright, you don't want to tell me what's really going on, fine. I'll at least give you some information to help that rogue fairy. It's got to be one of ours if you called us. I can't imagine you'd be stupid enough to call about a water fairy," Claudette said. Honestly I did not know what kind of fairy Sookie would have come from but it was a pretty good guess that she came from the Sky Fae if her family's death by drowning was anything indication.

"A fairy's scent is tied to his or her emotions," Claudette continued. "If the fairy is feeling really strongly, its scent will be more prominent. The first step to masking a fairy's scent is to control its emotions. Covering a lot of skin is also a way young fairies try to hide their scent before they fully learn how to mask it. If it's a fairy bastard, rubbing lemon scents on it's body would help mask the fairy scent, but this only works for the bastards since you already know lemon would hurt a full blooded fairy. To learn how to mask its scent, the fairy's just going to have to work on it. Meditating worked a lot for Claudine and me, Claude never really got into it. Every fairy is different so experimenting and practice is key. I know that doesn't help much but it's all I can tell you. I've never had to train another fairy on how to mask its scent and I can't go asking around, it would raise too many questions."

"I appreciate everything you have told me."

"Yeah, yeah. You're lucky I like you. Now don't forget, I expect an invite to your party!" Claudette called into the phone before she hung up.

Glad to have that conversation over with my next call was to Ruth. She might be able to help me mask Sookie's scent and it would help to have her know what she was dealing with.

"Hello?"

"Sookie?"

"Eric? Do you want to talk to Miss Ruthie?" Even after all this time I found it endearing that Sookie still called Ruth 'Miss Ruthie.'

"Yes, in a minute. How are you?"

"Better. I made a friend!" I could practically hear Sookie's smile through the phone and I found that I was smiling in return.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, her name is Amelia and she's a witch. Isn't that so cool?! She's staying with Miss Ruthie and she's so nice."

I had met Amelia on more than one occasion and while I did not doubt that she would be a loyal friend to Sookie. It was Amelia actions that had me worried about her effect on Sookie. Amelia had tried more than once to get me into bed but I would never bed a witch, nevertheless one that worked for me.

"Op, Amelia's calling me. You want to talk to Miss Ruthie now?"

"Yes, please." I was pleased to see that Sookie was not as temperamental as she had been earlier. At least Amelia was serving to put Sookie in a better mood.

"Eric, I can't say that I expected your call but I'm not surprised," Ruth said once she got on the phone.

"I am calling with some news."

"Oh?"

"I trust that you will tell this to no one, not even Amelia or your daughter, Mary."

"Of course not. Conversations held in confidentiality shall remain confidential."

"Good. I have discovered something about Sookie that I think you should know. Sookie, is at least in some way, part Fae."

"How did you figure this out?"

"I could smell her when she walked into Fangtasia, along with every other vampire."

"Interesting."

"You do not sound surprised."

"Well of course not. All humans with special abilities are connected to the Fae since there is no other way to have a Halfling. You can't have a half vampire and half human any more than you can have a half were child. But the fact that you could smell it on her, that is what is interesting. Usually their smell in more prominent in their blood. You obviously can't smell the Fae in Daniel but his blood would taste richer than a human's. With Sookie, you can smell the Fae without an open wound?"

"Yes."

"As I said, interesting."

"What can we do about this? Sookie needs to be able to mask her scent. I called Claudette and she gave me minimal information."

"I know a lot of things, Eric, but I must admit, even my knowledge is limited when it comes to the Fae. What was Claudette able to tell you and what price did you have to pay for the information?"

After giving Ruth a rundown of my conversation with Claudette, she was silent for a moment.

"I will try to work with Sookie and I'll see if I can come up with some witchcraft to help mask her smell until she can control it."

"Thank you. Anything you can do will be appreciated."

"Ah, I don't need your appreciation, Eric. You know I'd be happy to help you in any way possible. Especially when it comes to Sookie."

Ruth and I disconnected but I remained sitting at my desk trying to decide the best course of action. Making sure Sookie smelled like lemons would not only mask her scent but also ensure the other Fae stayed away from her. I would need to make sure that Sookie smelled like lemons at all times. With at least some small plan in mind, I set out to the store. It was a weekend so stores were open a bit later than usual and I took advantage of this by immediately heading to a store that sold body scents.

Flying was faster than any car but it would be difficult to fly with shopping bags so I had to drive. I went to my garage and jumped in the nearest car, a black Range Rover. I drove straight to a shopping promenade to find a store that sold body products. I was clueless about what humans bought for their skin but anything that had a lemon scent was going home with me.

As soon as I stepped foot into a "Bath & Bodyworks" I was bombarded with an eager sales associate.

"Hi, do you need help finding anything?" a sales associate named Rosie asked.

I would have to have been an idiot not to hear the seduction in her voice. Unfortunately, I was there for one purpose and it was not to play with the human girl.

"Could you point me in the direction of anything lemon scented?"

"You're into lemon scent?" Rosie asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"Uh, not for myself. It is for my… girlfriend."

"Oh, it's that way." Rosie seemed to lose her manners at the mention of a girlfriend but thankfully I could fix that.

"Take me to the lemon scents," I said, glamouring her.

"Right this way, sir."

She led me to a section of the store that had lemon scented candles, body wash, lotion, soap, perfume, and anything else you needed that could be scented with lemon. I wanted all of it but my arms would not be able to carry it all.

"Give me your cart," I glamoured the nearest customer. Cart in hand I proceeded to empty the shelves of all of the lemon scented products.

The checkout process was slow considering the cashier had to ring up each product. I paid no attention to the price as I handed the cashier my American Express black card.

After the bill was taken care of, I pushed the cart to my car and proceeded to load my car with lemon scented everything.

On the way home I stopped by a supermarket and bought lemons. I figured if rubbing lemon scents on Sookie's body would help mask her scent, surely if she ate lemons she would smell like lemons from the inside out. Since this was the only thing I could do to help Sookie mask her scent, I wanted to make sure I did all I could. As soon as I arrived at my house I began unloading my purchases. I had decided that some of the items would stay at my house, some would go with Pam, some would go with Daniel, some would go with Ruth, and some would go with Sookie. That way, no matter where Sookie went, she would be able to cover her scent with lemons.

In the hours before dawn I finished some paper work that needed to be done for Fangtasia, and talked strategy with some vampires about the reveal. When it was getting close to dawn I decided to call it an early night and head to my room. No matter where I slept I made sure that my real sleeping chambers were hidden from sight. After I descended into my room, I undressed, and laid in my bed.

It was then that I really began to think about everything that had happened. Seeing Sookie for the first time definitely took me by surprise. The tomboy was still there in Sookie's attitude but her appearance had changed considerably.

Her blonde hair was long and looked silky in the light. She still managed to maintain a tan complexion even though she seemed to keep the hours of a vampire. Her figure was definitely something other women would envy and her beautiful blue eyes completely lit up her face. Sookie was by far the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and despite our less than stellar reunion, I found that I was inexplicably drawn to her.

My last thought before I was dead for the day was that I was actually attracted to Sookie. The thought was unexpected and shocking but I could think of it no more. I was already out.

* * *

**A/N:** Ooh, Eric likes Sookie? What?! :P

Admittedly the story is progressing a bit slower than I would have liked but I don't like writing chapters that are 20 pages long and that will keep switching POVs. In the next chapter we'll hear from Sookie and properly meet Amelia and then we'll move along to their meeting. From then on it's on to the reveal!

Since it's my birthday for another hour, birthday love would be much appreciated, as would reviews… ;)

As always I'll work on the next Cop-Out update and then the next update for BOE will be after that. So… See you at the next update!


End file.
